Antiheroine (Old)
by vkerinav
Summary: See: Antiheroine (Revised). Events of ME1. A radicalized Kara Shepard goes rogue, but not like you think, as she struggles to solves questions of loyalty and command in her own way.
1. Revelations

It's closing in on a year, now, since I started dabbling with this. I was reluctant, having stories of my own to write, yet obviously I gave in. If I were doing this professionally, I've had a chance to go back and make sure this early stuff fit before I published it, but I felt that the original Chapter One, titled 'Into the Breach', was no longer a proper introduction to a character with the back story which Kara Shepard developed along the way. What I can do is go back and change it.

The story has been expanded, Kara's thoughts and interactions updated. Overall, it reads cleaner, and fills in more of the plot details which I previous expected the reader to bring with them.

I intend for this update to extend, eventually, through the first three chapters. A note similar to this one will appear on them, when I have done so. Readers old and new should feel free to leave a review; they are always much appreciated.

vkerinav, 28/9/12

* * *

><p>CHAPTER ONE<br>_Revelations_

Kara Shepard watched the _Normandy_'s pilot as he sat at the ship's helm. His eyes moved over the display, and his fingers danced over the controls. The small viewports at the front of the ship showed a chaotic scene, heavily distorted by their velocity, and tinted blue by the laws-of-physics-altering mass effect field that surrounded them. According to the specifications, the ship was capable of covering just over twenty light-years per day.

"… what do you think is going on, Commander?" The pilot finished, turning his head to check that she still stood there. His name was Jeffrey Moreau, Lieutenant, a competent pilot if the casual skill he projected confirmed the notes of praise attached to his service record.

Kara realized belatedly that he was addressing her. Beside him Kaiden Alenko, a marine lieutenant just a few years older than her, watched her curiously. She sighed inwardly. The _Normandy_ was fresh out of the shipyard, its crew still strangers to the ship and each other. They would be curious about her even if she were not a declared and decorated heroine, savior of Elysium. The only faces she recognized were amongst the marines. "A shakedown cruise," she answered, keeping her voice flat. The oddities could all be explained away, though collectively they suggested something more important than a test flight. After all, testing a prototype stealth frigate required that someone be looking for them.

"See, Joker. If something were going on, the commander would know about it," the other lieutenant, Alenko, replied.

Not likely. Keeping people in the dark was a time-honored military tradition. Her transfer to the _Normandy_ had come without much warning, and against the protests of Captain Sadashiv of the _SSV_ _Anqing_, for whom she had served as XO and marine commander. That alone was unusual, enough to make her suspect some special purpose. Accompanying it with a promotion to full commander did nothing to dull her suspicions.

"She wouldn't be able to talk about it," Moreau noted. He seemed about to continue when the captain interrupted over the internal com system.

"Joker, send Commander Shepard to the briefing room," he said. Captain David Anderson's presence was another clue. One of the most decorated officers in the fleet, a shipload of admirals made more sense for an otherwise diplomatic mission, and many of them would have fought for the privilege. A member of the defense

"You got that, Commander?" Moreau asked, but Kara had already turned away. If this were more than a shakedown run, it was time they explained just what they expected of her. As she walked down the length of the bridge, she tried to shrug of a sense that, somehow, things weren't going to end well.

The _Normandy_'s briefing room was small, like everything else aboard ship, with a circle of chairs in the center, and large display screen against the far wall. The last curious element sat in one of the far chairs, studying a data pad. A male Turian, Nihlus Kryik's semi-metallic skin reflected the dim light in a distinctly non-human manner, and without looking up he spoke. "Commander Shepard. I was hoping to speak with you alone." His voice had an oddly metallic quality as well, but it lacked the sometimes mechanical inflections of VI translation. He spoke English, accented but clear. Nihlus' presence was easily explained as a representative of the Turian Hierarchy, which had cooperated with the human Systems Alliance in designing the _Normandy_. They would certainly wish to observe it in flight, particularly the effectiveness of its stealth systems. She had seen him on the bridge many times, but he never stopped to talk her with, beyond politely trading formalities.

In their place, the Systems Alliance would have sent an admiral, with an aide or two. The Turians had sent an elite agent, a Spectre, who answered not to the Hierarchy, but to the multi-species Citadel Council. That suggested a wider interest than a simple assessment of a prototype; something that involved the Council itself, at the very least.

"Sir?"

He eyed her curiously, as though he expected her to say more. She met his gaze, firmly but silently. "I'm sure you've guessed that I'm not here solely to observe the _Normandy_ in action. I've been following your career with interest since that bloody slaughter on Elysium. Your acceptance speech for the Star of Terra was a highlight of the affair."

That was a surprise. At the time, she had expected it to get her discharged, only to find that the Alliance had quietly replace it with much more respectful version, read by an actress who barely resembled her. "Thank you. How did you come across the original?"

"There are benefits to being a Spectre," the Turian said. "Benefits I think you're ready to share."

Her? She almost laughed. The Alliance had frantically been pushing for more power, more authority in galactic affairs since the end of the First Contact War. What they needed was patience, for humanity to have a chance to integrate. Constant pressure would only result in resentment and mistrust.

Aside from that, she had no desire for the kind of life the role would entail. After ten years with the Alliance, she still did not think of herself as a soldier. She liked to immerse herself in alien cultures, played the violin, and wrote on occasion. She did not have as much time for those things as she might have wished, but they were her, not the instruments of death she more frequently wielded, or her uniform and the occasional medals.

"No offense, but Spectres are dangerous, with too much power and not enough oversight. I don't want the job, and I don't want to be the means by which humanity forces itself on the galaxy."

Nihlus' expression was one more of amusement than surprise. "Take some time to think about it, Commander. We have a mission-"

The door slid open, cutting him off.

* * *

><p>Kara sighed. She knew, as any experienced officer did, that it was possible to make no mistakes and still lose people. Like any good officer, that didn't make it hurt any less, as she stared down at the body of Corporal Jenkins. His life had been her responsibility, and she'd failed him, mistake or no. What gave her the right to order anyone to their deaths? What had he been thinking, to accept her authority without question? They were questions she'd struggled with since Elysium, and she hadn't found a good answer. She was in command, and that had to suffice.<p>

"Jenkins' was from here. He said it was dull."

Kara ignored Kaiden. As a model colony, on the edge of Alliance space, mainly agrarian and still small, dull was likely an apt description of Eden Prime. Except, not today. The colony was under attack by unknown forces, and the only thing of value on the planet was the newly discovered Prothean beacon, which she had been sent to retrieve. It was the obvious target, but supposed to be a secret.

She wondered if Jenkins still had family on Eden Prime, and if they were still alive. A part of her hoped not; she didn't want to see any more parents crying over the body of their child. She looked up, meeting Kaiden's dark eyes. "I need you focused, Lieutenant." Or was it her, who needed focus? One death didn't alter their mission, or the fact that a delay could cost the lives of more colonists. The older officer frowned, expecting more, some ongoing respect for the dead. It was just a body to her, but she understood the need. "We can come back for him later."

She led the way forward, the map on her command HUD giving not only direction, but a general topographical overview. At any other time, she might have found Eden Prime a pleasant world, but dust and ash from the attack had turned everything a hazy red, and the warm wind from the direction of the space port carried the mingled, nauseating smell of burning synthetics and flesh.

They followed a narrow path into a copse of trees, tall and brownish in the gloom. Sparse undergrowth added to the oppressiveness, blocking the breeze and much of the light.

Moving cautiously, she heard the whine of the drones' exhaust fans before she saw them, and took cover behind a thick trunk. They sped past, responding she guessed to the destruction of the other set. She was familiar with the recon drones of the Council races, the most common corporate models, and those of several other major races, but she did not recognize these. Did they belong to a new race, or were they an attempt by a known species, possibly even an ally, to disguise their presence? Either possibility was troubling.

As the last drone passed, she signaled to Alenko, and they opened fire together. The even with the devices' attempts at evasion, a few quick shots overwhelmed their barriers, and with little or no armor they went down in a shower of sparks. Kaiden checked his pistol's status lights, before nodding at her.

She had only just gestured for him to follow her when she heard shouting ahead, and they moved quickly through the rest of the copse, seeking the source. Once clear, they could see an armored figure, shooting at something else, out of sight behind a ridge. She motioned Alenko forward, following him closely. Some sort of robot, perhaps an experimental combat platform, was chasing the soldier.

The soldier tripped, firing several rounds from her assault rifle at the robot, to gain time to recover. Alenko moved to help, firing his pistol as he approached. Kara tested the barriers of a second unit with a biotic disruption field, firing through the gap she created, and sending the robot sprawling with a dying mechanical sputter. The first unit went down a few seconds later, its barriers collapsed until constant fire.

The soldier, free of enemies at last, scrambled to her feet, throwing Kaiden a quick salute. "Thanks for the assist, sir."

"Commander Shepard," Kara said, she she approached. "Can you tell me what happened here?"

The marine shook her head. "We were out on patrol when they hit us, sir. We didn't have any warning. Someone said they're Geth."

The Geth were intelligent robots designed by the Quarians. Somehow, they had moved from limited virtual intelligences to full AI and waged a successful war of liberation against their masters, who still lived in exile from their homeworld on one of the biggest fleets of spaceships ever assembled. The Geth hadn't been seen since well before humanity entered the galactic stage. She hadn't a clue why, or even if they'd be interested in the artifact.

"The rest of your squad?"

"Dead, sir. The Geth put them up on these weird spikes. I didn't know what to do, I just ran."

"What's your name?"

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, sir." Angry brown eyes stared out from beneath her combat helmet.

"You stayed alive, Ash. That's important. You aren't much good to anyone dead," she smiled encouragingly, knowing it was small consolation. She'd seen friends die around her, and held her ground, and still felt like she hadn't done enough. "You'd better come with us."

Williams nodded. "Yes, sir." Another stranger willing to die at her command.

"We're here to recover a Prothean artifact," Kara said, "but we'll help the colony if we can. Kaiden, you'll take up the rear."

* * *

><p>"The artifact was here, Commander," Ashley said, gesturing towards a corner of the dig site. The archeological team had uncovered a portion of some sort of structure, most of it still buried beneath fifty thousand years of dirt. "We were told they had plans to move it, but I don't know where."<p>

"We need to find out," Kara said. If it was them, and not the Geth. "Is there a shelter, or somewhere else the team might have gone when the attack started?"

"They were expecting retrieval, weren't they? Then they would have moved the artifact closer to the spaceport," Alenko suggested.

"True," Kara said, looking around. The area was quite sheltered, and her map did not indicate any nearby landing site for a craft of the _Normandy_'s size. The decision to move the beacon was sound, but she wondered why news of it had not reached the Alliance. A simple communications breakdown? "Any other suggestions, Ash?"

The marine shook her head. "I don't even know where the team was, when the attacks began. Sorry, sir."

"Very well," Kara decided. "We head for the spaceport. You know your way around, Ash, so you'll take point."

"Sir," Ashley saluted; Kara nodded in response. "This way."

They made their way up a dirt path, leading up one of the hills that surrounded the dig, passing several bodies as they wound upward, civilians and soldiers. She assumed that the Geth had dropped units as near to the dig site as possible, making their way towards the spaceport when they found the beacon missing.

Ash paused when they reached the top, gasping in horror. "Sir," she said, raising her arm.

Kara followed the gesture, her eyes landing on three of the spikes Ashley had described earlier, concealed from below in a small hollow. The figures which hung from them, pierced through the stomach, were not easily recognizable as human. One, at least, had bits of Alliance armor half-absorbed into its grey skin.

"Hey, what's that," Alenko shouted, distracting her from her contemplation. A dark mass lingered over the colony, beginning to accelerate rapidly upwards. A ship? She knew of nothing that size that could land on a planet, and she didn't recognize the configuration. It could only be Geth.

"Uh, Commander? Those bodies are moving," Williams said, her voice weak with fear and horror. Twitching, as the spikes slowly withdrew into their round bases.

How many cheap horror films were there, where, through experimental nanotech, disease, or just because, the protagonists had to fight their way through hordes of undead, sometimes wearing the familiar faces of former comrades. She hated horror films. They mimicked the senselessness and horror of real violence, and normalized it, and demeaned it. If that was not enough reason for her dislike, they were often lacking much of a story, had weak plots, and nothing at all worth saying. The corpses bellowed and charged.

Where did one shoot an animated corpse? She lowered her aim, firing several rounds into the lead creature's leg. It toppled forward, tried to stand, collapsed back into the dirt, and began to crawl towards her. She opened fire again, stopping only when it ceased twitching.

Alenko had trapped a second corpse in a biotic field, from which it struggled to escaped.

"Alenko," she said, just to get his attention. Controlling complex biotics was like performing a dance, learned over many hours of practice, but the abilities themselves were like having arms; they were either there, and one used them, or they were not. She generated a counter-force, and between them they tore the creature in half; it wailed angrily, waving its arms at them as though sheer effort might bridge the gap between them, and went limp. Thankfully, it lacked any real viscera to spill, no longer any more human than the Geth themselves.

Williams' weapon-Kara had been aware of its firing-hissed, and bleeped in rebellion. Kara turned to check on her-the rifle's status light was blinking red, and she could feel the heat radiating from its exposed coils. The last corpse-creature was shattered, nearly torn apart by the number of shards that had pierced it.

"You okay, Chief?" Kara asked, placing her hand on the woman's armored shoulder.

The soldier straightened, letting the rifle fall to her side. "Yes, sir."

Kara knew it was a lie. The creature had been Williams' friends and colleagues, or at least might have been, transformed as they were beyond recognition. They were not just dead, but desecrated.

"Let's go, sir," Williams said, her voice, like her expression, carefully controlled. Professional. She pulled the overheated thermal clip from her rifle, replacing it with a fresh one. Kara noted that it was her last.

"Lead on, Chief," Kara told her.

Smoke rose in plumes from the colony below, thick and dark, until it found the wind and dispersed.

* * *

><p>The journey down to the colony passed without further resistance from the Geth, though they fended off two more groups of animated corpses. Kaiden called them husks, a name which she found fitting. They covered ground quickly, and attacked with clumsy swings of their arms, their fingers transformed into sharp-edged claws, but ultimately posed little threat to an alert squad, at least in limited numbers. Had the Geth transformed more of the numerous dead soldiers they passed on their way, they might have needed an army to clear the colony.<p>

They approached the colony center through a tram station, the area stacked with crates of what Ashley identified as agricultural supplies. She claimed that they tram would take them to the spaceport. Kara allowed her to continue to lead them, until, rounding a crate, she paused in shock. "What's a dead Turian doing here?"

"A Turian?" Kaiden asked. "Nihlus?"

That was not a pleasant thought. She already feared that the Geth had departed with the beacon, marking the mission as a failure. A dead Spectre would turn it into a disaster. Kara motioned for the Lieutenant to follow as she approached the corpse.

Unfortunately, he was right. Nilhus lay face-down in a pool of dark blood. She checked him over briefly. "He was shot in the back of the head. I think the weapon was a pistol," she sighed.

Kaiden muttered a curse under his breath. "That doesn't sound like a combat wound, and the Geth don't use pistols, that I've seen."

"Who is this, anyway?" Ashley asked, her attention focused on the lower platform of the station, where a freight tram waited.

"Nihlus," Kaiden said. "A Council Spectre."

From behind one of the nearby crates, Kara heard a sharp intake of breath. "Whoever you are," she said, "you can come out. We're not going to hurt you."

A balding head poked itself over the top of the crate, followed by wide, frightened eyes. "You sure?"

Kara holstered her pistol, and held up her hands. "Did you see who did this?"

A heavyset man in coveralls walked out from behind the crate, rubbing his head. "Yeah. It was the other Turian. They seemed to know each other. This one called him Saren."

"And?"

"He let down his guard. Saren shot him. Saren left, back to the spaceport, I think."

The name Saren seemed vaguely familiar, but Kara couldn't place it. She knelt by Nihlus corpse, checking his omnitool.

"Just what were you doing back there, anyway?" Ashley demanded, scowling at their informant.

"I was, ah, taking a break when those robots attacked. Didn't fancy my chances against them."

"Sleeping, you mean," Ash grunted. "Lazy bastard."

"Ash, calm down. It's not his fault he survived." She stood, sighing. "Nihlus' suit recordings were erased. Not by you, I trust?" she added, staring at the laborer.

"No!" he quickly replied. "Saren did something to his armor. I didn't know what."

Without actual evidence, they had nothing on Saren but the testimony of one scared dockworker, even if he had no reason to lie. That would count towards nothing more than reasonable suspicion. "We'll send a team to retrieve the body, once we've secured the colony. Don't touch it."

"No, ma'am," the dockworker replied.

"Let's go, Ash," Kara sighed. There was nothing left but the faint hope that they could still retrieve the beacon.

* * *

><p>Kara regarded the Prothean artifact curiously. She couldn't imagine any human technology enduring for fifty thousand years in any sort of working order, but here they had an active relic. Nihlus and Jenkins had died trying to recover it, alongside an unknown number of colonists killed by the Geth. Whatever they wanted with it, she could only assume that they'd gotten it, or they would not have left it behind, to be destroyed by their bombs, which Kaiden had disabled. She hoped the Council's scientists could find out what it did, and quickly.<p>

"The Normandy is coming in for pickup, sir," Alenko told her.

"Good," she muttered. Once it was aboard the Normandy, she would probably never see the device again. A pity. Puzzling out its functions seemed like a fun challenge, and a good way to pass a tedious spaceflight. It was, she guessed, well beyond her technical skills, but it tempted her regardless. She stepped forward, intent of having a closer look while she still could.

As soon as she touched the device, it flared to life. She froze, unable to move, not even to breathe. Pain flooded her mind, carrying flashes of images; an alien face, fires, death, and some sort of machine. With the images came a jumble of emotions, as confused and fragmented as the image.

Then more pain. Her vision, her real vision, had faded to black. She had the impression of falling, and then nothing.

* * *

><p>End of chapter one. I hope you'll keep reading, and leave a review if you're so moved.<p> 


	2. Rogues and Pilgrims

12/10: So, here's my promised update of Chapter two. I intended this to become two chapters, but that would mean lots of extra work, and so I clumped them together, and didn't add as much material as I might have. This update borrows a little from those ridiculous Homeworlds comics, but it mainly addresses a timeline mistake from the game; how can Tali be on the Citadel so soon? Read to find out.

Oh, I also renamed the _Destiny Ascension_. I had an impossible time figuring out what that name was supposed to mean. I suspect it was meant to give the Asari an air of arrogant aloofness.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER TWO<br>_Rogues and Pilgrims_

Kara awoke with a painful headache. She couldn't seem to remember where she was, or how she'd gotten there. She didn't recall getting drunk. She'd done that before, the night they pinned a medal on her for her conduct during the Skyllian Blitz. It was an experience she swore she'd never repeat.

She tried opening her eyes. An Alliance sickbay? The _Normandy_. That ruled out alcohol. She must have been on a mission. "Karin?"

"Kara, good. How are you feeling?"

"Alive?"

Kara liked Doctor Karin Chakwas. She seemed like a good person, and an excellent doctor, not to mention the only real friend Kara'd made among the crew. The older woman laughed. "You've been out for a full day. I treated you for minor burns to the face and neck, but physically you're fine. I'm more interested in the neural patterns that artifact induced. Can you remember anything?"

The artifact? She remembered the mission to Eden Prime. She remembered Jenkins' death, and the Geth. Rescuing Ashley Williams. After that, it became something of a blur. She could not remember the artifact at all. "Some. Nothing about the beacon."

Karin nodded. "The artifact doesn't appear to have done any permanent damage, Commander," she said. "I'm sure your memory will return with time." Quickly, she explained what had happened after the _Normandy_ deployed Kara's team on the settlement's outskirts.

"It all sounds familiar," Kara admitted. Was she remembering Nihlus' corpse, or had her mind constructed the image to match the doctor's description? There were other things, half-remembered, but clearly not of Eden Prime. "That device… it showed me something. I think. Something important enough to kill for. I wish I remembered more of it, but there's just…" she trailed off, unable to explain. "If you'll let me go, I'm sure the captain will want to talk to me."

"He does, and you're fine."

Kara dressed in a set of uniform trousers and shirt someone had laid out for her, leaving the heavy tunic where it lay, and checked her appearance in the sickbay's small washroom. There was no mistaking the exhaustion in the green eyes that stared out at her. The burns Karin had mentioned had already faded, leaving her skin unmarked and its usual pale hue. Her short hair, as always its natural dark red, was thick with grime and plastered to her skull. She ran her fingers through it, leaving it sticking out at odd angles. She looked more herself, though still in need of a shower and a good sleep in a real bed. And a meal, as her growling stomach reminded her. She decided to start there.

The ship's mess was just outside of the small sickbay, dominating the crew deck. The tables were empty but for the lone figure of Ashley Williams, poking forlornly at a mostly-full tray. She recognized the pain in the marine's face, however well concealed.

She claimed a tray of bland, rubbery food from the machine, and sat down across from the young woman. "I grew up in space," Kara said softly, as an innocuous beginning. "It wasn't ideal. Planetside is better-I love trees, and feeling wind on my face."

"I've dreamed of this all my life," Williams said. An opportunity, yes, but there was little enthusiasm in her voice.

"How are you doing, Ash?" Kara asked. The dark-haired young marine had no friends on board, but deserved a chance to talk, to vent her feelings.

"Fine, sir. Thank you."

"If you're ever not, I'm willing to listen." Kara reached across the table, and put her hand on Williams' shoulder. "At first, I hated myself for surviving Elysium. It meant I hadn't done enough to save my squad, that I was weak. Then the Alliance comes along, and gives me a medal for my failure?" She gave a half smile and withdrew her hand. "Being human isn't a weakness."

Williams looked up, meeting Kara's gaze. Some of the tension had gone from her eyes, but much more remained. When she looked away, it was to resume eating, no longer simply pushing her food about.

Kara sighed, and started on her own meal. Recon frigates were designed for long-term space flight, hence the rehydrated, inedible mush. She had to force herself to eat it, no matter how hungry she felt, which made her current posting less than idea.

Captain Anderson arrived just as she finished. Williams leapt to her feet as soon as she saw him. "Captain, sir."

"As you were, chief," he said, returning her salute. "Commander, Doctor Chakwas told me you were awake. How are you feeling?"

"Better, sir."

Anderson gestured that she follow, and led her into his office, opposite the sickbay.

"I've gone over the reports from Lieutenant Alenko and Chief Williams. Things went to hell down there, but you held on, retrieved the artifact, and you saved the colony. Good work."

"Yes, sir."

"This Saren, the Turian that dockworker saw kill Nihlus, he's a Spectre, one of the best. He hates humans. He wants to see us all dead, and now he thinks he's found a way to do it. I've set course for the Citadel. Ambassador Udina will get us an audience with the Council. We'll see that he's brought to justice."

Perhaps, but they did not have proof of his responsibility for the events on New Eden, or even his presence. One eyewitness hardly counted as evidence in her mind, and the Council would be even more skeptical. "Whatever personal history there is between you and Saren, captain, it won't do us any good."

"That's not your business, commander."

"You're letting it affect the mission, so yes," she told him softly. "It is. All you've got on him is words, and an old grudge."

"Then you'll have to find some," Anderson snapped.

She sighed. The dockworker's testimony, combined with the circumstances of Nilhus' death, was cause for an investigation, but she didn't like it when people held back important information. "Yes, sir."

* * *

><p>Kara had been on the Citadel the before. The forty-five kilometer long space station was another relic of the Protheans, and now the seat of the Citadel Council, a coalition government of the Turian, Asari and Salarian races. Another five species, humanity included, accepted the Council's authority, but had no representation. More than thirteen million beings, with individuals from every known race, lived on its five sprawling arms. It was a good place to meet new people, and learn about other civilizations. Her earlier trips had been less formal, and rarely taken her out of the arms, what they called the Wards, to the central ring, the Presidium, home of ambassadors, dignitaries, and the Council itself.<p>

Over the balcony of the Human embassy, she could see long pools, trees and grass, while a warm, faint wind stirred the air. It carried the scent of exotic flowers, and exotic foods. When she closed her eyes, she could almost forget she was in space, but the constant hiss of life support ruined the illusion.

"I managed to arrange a meeting with the Council," Ambassador Udina declared. He represented humanity before the Council, a job he did with due deference to his species' ruling class. That alone was reason enough for her to dislike him, but he also carried himself with a righteous arrogance she found unpleasant. "A Geth attack on a human colony, led by a rogue spectre. They'll have to send in the fleet."

"They won't," Kara sighed. Anyone with sense could see it. The Alliance had established colonies on the edge of Council space, and they did it at their own risk. She didn't expect the anyone to come to their aid over a single attack. "Captain, don't ask me to do this."

"The Council has requested that you testify, Commander."

With a brief, loud beep, the holoprojectors on one wall flared to life, the image of three people, the representatives of the three Council races, resolving into focus above them.

"Councillors," Udina said, nodding his head in their in their direction. "This is Captain Anderson, Commander Shepard."

The middle figure, a tall, dignified Asari, her face barely showing a hint of alienness beyond the deep blue of her skin, nodded in return. "Ambassador. Captain. Commander." Her stern gaze settled for a long moment on Kara. "We've reviewed your evidence, and it is our opinion that you failed to make a case against Spectre Arterius."

"Councillor, I know our evidence is weak," Kara ventured. "I will not condemn Saren on the basis of it. However, the threat of a rogue Spectre is grave enough to warrant an investigation-"

"An investigation has already been conducted," the holographic Turian stated dismissively. "Saren has been cleared of all charges."

"You're protecting him," Udina almost shouted. "If a Turian colony had been attacked, you would have acted by now. I demand-"

"Ambassador!" Kara hissed, "Shut up." She wondered at herself; she normally kept better control of her tongue, if only to preserve her career.

Udina glared at her, preparing a sharp response, but she ignored him, turning her attention to the holographic councillors. "If not Saren, then someone else was responsible for the attack. That person was known to Nihlus, and had knowledge of the beacon. Surely you agree that the person responsible must be caught, and their plans uncovered?"

"It would make an interesting test of her abilities," the Salarian councillor said, studying her intently with his large, dark eyes. If he was talking to his fellow councillors, they made no reply. "Commander Shepard, you will be responsible for this investigation. Find out who was responsible, and action will be taken."

"What about our colonies?" Udina demanded; she wondered if he could do anything else. "You must sent in your fleet to protect them."

"Enough, Ambassador," the Turian said. If Kara interpreted his flaring mandibles correctly, he was irritated. "You do not give us orders."

The Asari glanced at the other councillors, the Silarian on one side and Turian on the other. "This meeting is adjourned," she said. A moment later, the projector shut off. Inside it, cooling fans continued to hum quietly.

Udina was the first to break the new silence. "Commander, what the hell did you think you were doing?"

Kara considered her reply carefully. Her dislike for him aside, Udina had power within the Alliance. He could seriously harm her career, if he so wished. Or not. The Council had made it clear that they still considered her a potential spectre. She still didn't want the job, and she was ready to stop playing soldier. If that were not enough of an excuse, she found that her dislike of Udina had only deepened.

"Your job."

* * *

><p>The door slid open soundlessly, revealing a plainly decorated space, generous in proportions. Like Udina's office, the far side of the room ended in a balcony, overlooking the grounds of the Presidium. The sound of distant voices drifted through, the soft cadences of Asari matched with guttural Turian, both below the volume threshold of her translator. On the far side of the ring, she could see part of a huge statue of a Krogan, this one standing proud after their victory in the Rachni War. It could not have known how quickly they would be beaten down for their efforts.<p>

She dismissed thoughts of the past, and the lessons it contained, to focus her attention on the room's sole occupant. A male Turian, lean and sharp eyed, he did not even look up as she approached, focusing instead on his computer terminal. His name was Palin, Executor of Citadel Security, or CSec.

When he did look up, it was to make a full assessment of her; she had traded her uniform for casual attire, beginning with a loose shirt of asian style, green, straight-legged trousers, and plain black shoes. She had declined to carry a pistol, though her escort-Williams and Alenko-were armed, and waiting for her in the lobby. She wonder what he made of her.

"Can I help you, human?" His words had the hard mechanical edge of a translator, which also muted his true voice, leaving an odd disconnect between his words and the movement of his mouth, like a badly-dubbed vid.

"Kara Shepard, I'm with the Alliance." He knew that, of course. She had again scrambled the circuitry of the ID chip implanted in her wrist, but the omnitool concealed beneath her sleeve was set up to send the same signal, and could be turned on or off at will. The program was highly illegal. "The Council has authorized me to investigate the recent attack on Eden Prime."

"So I see, Commander, but I can't help you. CSec rules forbid sharing information with civilians. The Council can't change that."

She sighed inwardly. His refusal came as no surprise, though she wondered if his outward devotion to the law covered for corruption. It didn't matter at present. The only lead Udina had given her consisted of a drunk ex-CSec officer, finally expelled for corruption after a long and disgraceful career, and Palin was the only chance she had for a reliable source. "I know. The rules are in place to protect people from power." Except that law protected _the_ _powerful_ from _the people._ "Spectres have power, but no rules, and no oversight. Who protects us from them?"

The Turian equivalent of a smile crossed the Executor's face. "You can't use the Council's questionable decision to create the Spectres to justify bending the rules."

"The Council's decision bent the rules, or would have if they'd started out straight," Kara retorted. She ran her fingers through her hair, and sighed. "I'd don't think either of us has time for this argument. I'll go."

The Executor acknowledged her with a nod, before focusing again on his work.

The door opened before her, and sealed behind her. "It seems we're hitting the bar, after all," she told the waiting marines. Life, it seemed, conspired to drag her step by step into the abyss.

* * *

><p>Kara gritted her teeth, and tried not to allow the throbbing music to transmogrify into a throbbing headache. She hated loud bars, their foul smell and repetitive music, the constant flashing advertisements, and of course the clientele. She disliked the exotic dancing almost as much. There was a causal sexism to it, an objectification, that set her teeth on edge. She half wondered if Udina had sent her there as a punishment for her behavior, but he couldn't have known.<p>

Determinedly, she made her way past around the bar. An older man, his hair slightly grey around the edges, sat against the far wall, his eyes glazed with alcohol and more as he watched the nearest half-naked dancer, a brown-skinned human woman. He matched the description Udina provided her with, though she doubted he'd be much help. Regardless, she took a seat across from him. "You Harken?"

He stirred, his eyes hazily focusing upon her. "That's me, princess."

She clenched her teeth harder. _This ass represented humanity in CSec?_ No wonder so many species regarded them with contempt. According to Udina, Harken was known to be corrupt, but he was an important symbol, so they'd pushed to keep him on the payroll. He'd lost some of symbolic value of late, as more humans joined the force, and so they'd finally let him go. "I'm looking for information."

"Why don't we discuss it over a lap dance," Harken drawled. He patted his thigh.

Kara's hand clenched involuntarily. Only the table between them stopped her from hitting him without thinking. The last time anyone had propositioned her, she kneed him in the groin. She walked around the table, dragged Harken off his chair, and shoved him up against the wall. He struggled to break free, but a life of corruption hadn't left him in the best shape. "Listen up, you pathetic little shit. This is the only kind of physical contact you and I are going to have, so you can either answer my questions, or I can leave you here to drown in your own fucking vomit. Clear?"

Harken didn't look frightened, just uncomfortable as he struggled to breath. "Alright, jeez, I was just foolin'!"

A few seconds later, the ex-cop was curled up on the floor, wheezing in pain. He was a contemptible creature, hardly worth her time anymore. It said a great deal about humanity that it defended something like him. She crouched over him. "One more chance."

He straightened himself out with some difficulty, unabashedly massaging his groin. Behind the pain, there was anger in his eyes. "What do you want to know?"

"I need information on Saren Artarius, the Spectre. Or anyone that might know about the attack on Eden Prime."

"You're Shepard. Fuck. Look, I don't know anything, but CSec assigned some Turian hotshot, Garrus Vakarian, to investigate Saren. He might be able to help you."

"Anything else?"

"A Volus named Barla Von. He's a financial advisor by trade, but he does some deals for the Shadow Broker on the side. The Broker'll have something for you, but it won't come cheap."

She didn't know much about the Shadow Broker, just enough to know that no one really did. An elusive individual, or organization, trading information to the highest bidder, she assumed the Alliance had contacts of its own, and had already pressed them for information about Saren. She decided that the Turian would be a more reliable place to start.

"Thanks," she said, contemplating him for a moment longer. She had intended to leave him, but he looked so pathetic that she relented slightly, and helped him back to his chair. Then she fled the room as quickly as she could. Once out the door, she kept walking until the music faded into the noise of the shoppers traversing the wards.

_Calm_. She breathed deeply, again and again, letting the tension drain-

"Commander? Are you alright?"

She opened her eyes, finding Alenko staring into her face. "I'm fine. We need to find a CSec officer, Garrus Vakarian."

His look of concerned expression didn't fade. "Sir, I'll check with CSec, they'll know where to find him. Why don't you wait here?" She raised an eyebrow. "Sir."

Kara had meant to question his concern, not his protocol, so she nodded affirmation. Every night since her contact with the artifact, the images it had burned into her mind were echoed in her dreams. They were evidently a warning, implying suffering and death on an incomprehensible scale, perhaps even of the entire Prothean race, but she could make out nothing of the cause. Whatever they meant, she woke up feeling drained, not well-rested.

With Alenko gone, she turned to Williams. "Care for a drink, chief?" she asked, gesturing at a nearby café, open to the promenade on two sides. The flowing alien script above the door , which she couldn't read, but they were certain to have a translated menu.

"No, sir," Williams replied.

Kara shrugged, and made her way over, the marine trailing close behind. The customers were mostly Asari, a few Salarians and only one other human, all seemingly pleased with their orders.

When she reached the counter, the Asari smiled at her, and greeted her with the sort of informal hello that she'd programmed her translator to ignore. "What can I get you?"

The young Asari's friendly demeanor, and pretty blue eyes, tempted her to ignore the menu. "Hot tea. A kind you like."

"You like surprises?"

"I do, and new experiences. New people."

The blue woman broadened her smile, and busied herself with Kara's order. "I could help you with that, if you're interested. My shift ends in an hour…"

_I am, I so very am._ "I'd enjoy that, but I can't," she sighed. A little romance, or straight-up sex, would've helped clear her mind and relax her body, if only she had the time. "You've brightened my day, though, and I'm grateful. It was looking pretty dark."

The Asari nodded, and set a ceramic mug on the counter. The rising steam carried a scent somewhat reminiscent of fresh ginger and tart apples. Kara pressed her thumb against the scanner, to confirm payment. "Zarisa leaf tea. Enjoy, Kara," she said, her smile once again friendly. "Come back if you need anything."

"I will," she grinned, taking the cup. She scanned the café for a place to sit.

Williams had found a table, where she had positioned herself with a good view of the promenade. Kara noticed the young marine's lips were set in a narrow line.

Whatever was wrong, Kara decided to ignore it, and sipped at her tea instead. It had a spicier flavor than the smell had carried, and less familiarity. "Mm, this is good. Have a taste, Ash."

"What-why were you flirting with that _thing_?"

Kara groaned inwardly as her briefly cheerful mood passed. Sometimes it felt like the universe had it in for her. "Two things. First, if I ever hear you talk like that again, you'll find yourself scrubbing the Normandy's waste reprocessors until your transfer back planetside comes through. Clear?"

"Yes, sir."

"Secondly, why shouldn't I? I didn't hear her objecting."

"But it-_she_ isn't human."

"I'm not interested in sorting out your prejudices." Kara stared into her cup. The liquid was orangish and slightly cloudy. She took another drink. "Go meet an Asari or two, or a Turian. Get to know an Elcor. Be back on the Normandy in time for your next shift."

"You're dismissing me?" Williams asked, looking shocked and more than a little angry.

Was she? Kara didn't want a racist marine mouthing off when she met with Garrus, or wherever else the trail led, and perhaps it would broaden Williams' mind a little. Either that, or she would know to start filling out transfer orders. "I am. Be off with you."

"Yes, sir," Williams acknowledge sharply, and stalked off. Kara wondered if she'd lose the weapons before attempting to make friends, or if she'd just find a corner to sulk in.

Either way, she had peace at last. She took of breath of tea-scented air, switched off her translator, and closed her eyes. She could hear eight different voices, speaking different languages and dialects, competing for her attention with the jazz-like background music of the café. Both were intriguing windows into other cultures, and almost hypnotic in her present state.

"_Alenko to Commander Shepard._"

She sighed, and activated her omnitool. "Shepard here."

"I found Lieutenant Vakarian. He's agreed to meet us on the Presidium Commons, section two-alpha. I'll catch up to you there."

"I'm on my way, Lieutenant."

Finishing the rest of her tea, Kara brought the cup to the counter with her. She caught the attention of the Asari with a wave. "That was wonderful, thank you. You never said your name?"

"Saria."

"I'll be back for more, next time I'm on the Citadel." Kara concluded with an Asari farewell, which meant something like; '_May the flow of time treat you like an old friend_'.

* * *

><p>Kara took one of the public aircars up to the Presidium dock under section alpha. Though they could pass through the simulated sky and the dense mass effect field that held in the atmosphere, CSec restricted traffic in the area, to keep the less desirable elements away from the VIPs. As if by coincidence, these restrictions kept the poor and homeless that occupied parts of the wards from cluttering up the walkways of the rich. An Asari officer checked her ID and scanned her for weapons, before waving her on with an amused expression.<p>

From the docks, a high speed lift carried her inwards, past the Presidium grounds and up the walls to the Commons, a number of open areas scattered along the upper rim, from which they could overlook the grounds. Below, alpha section included the lift to the Council tower, and the embassies of the associate races, with made the Commons section into a popular tourist spot. The CSec presence was higher than in most other parts of the station, giving her several uniformed Turian males to choose from.

Instead, she walked down the terraced floors to the lowest rail, and looked out over the park. She could see the statue of the Krogan again, still enduringly unaware of his species' fate, and the Tower itself, rising up through the false sky, a hundred meters away. At its base stool a scale model of a Mass Relay, a monument, they said, to the greatest achievement of the Protheans, the network of primary and secondary relays which spread across the galaxy. Without them, she doubted that humanity would yet know that alien life existed, beyond a few microbial forms.

"Commander Shepard?"

Kara turned at the unexpected, resonant Turian voice. He was wearing CSec-issue armor, with lieutenant's insignia. "Garrus Vakarian?"

"That's right. I heard the Council had assigned a human to investigate Saren. I don't know what they think you can accomplish that I can't, but I wish they'd sent you to me."

"They're testing me," Kara shrugged. "Are you willing to work with me on this?"

Garrus nodded faintly. "I've been checking up on every lead I could find for the last two years, but they never go anywhere. Saren's a master at covering his tracks."

"What are you working on right now?"

"Two things. There's rumors that Saren is recruiting Krogan through an intermediary, a vicious warlord named Dovar. Some say she's promising a second Uprising, if you can believe it."

That would mean the death of the Krogan race. They did not have the naval power or numbers to threaten the Council, but it was possible that the charismatic Turian could convince them to go out fighting. It did suggest some tension between him and his Geth allies, if true. "And the second?"

"I have a few friends here and there. One of them told me that a Quarian shuttle showed up over Illium early this morning. They're claiming to have important information recovered from the Geth. They've been made to wait in orbit, or so I hear."

That sounded like the more promising of the two. Even after three hundred years, the Quarians occasionally made attempts to enlist allies to help reconquer their homework for the rebellious creations. This could be more of the same, but there was a possibility that it involved Saren. "Could you put me in contact with them?"

"Sorry, no," he said. "There's something wrong with the comm relays between here and Illium. I haven't even been able to reply to my friend."

Kara knew Illium by reputation, but that was all. A former Asari colony, it had departed the Republic in favor of oligarchic capitalist government, and now considered itself part of the independent Terminus systems. Unlike most Asari worlds, corruption was a severe problem there. With communications down, it was easy to believe that the Quarians were in danger. "Come back to the _Normandy_. We'll try again, this time with military priority. If that doesn't work, I'll see if we can't send a courier ship."

Garrus nodded. "That's a good place to start."

* * *

><p>"What's with the human, Garrus? CSec still lowering its standards?"<p>

"Hell, Tallix, it isn't that bad. They haven't hired you yet," Garrus countered.

The holographic Turian grinned. "So what are doing on an Alliance channel?"

"Funniest thing. The normal CSec protocol is being blocked over Illium. Any news on those Quarians?"

Tallix snorted. "Someone bribed the port authority to let them land. Now they've disappeared. Knowing Illium, their corpses will show up in a few days."

"I'd suggest you find out what happened to them," Kara interrupted. "We need to know just what they recovered."

"Yes, yes," the Turian shrugged. "I'll get on it. We'll talk later, Garrus. Don't bring the pyjak."

The projectors went dark. "Uh," Garrus muttered. "Sorry about that."

"That was our best lead," Kara sighed.

Garrus stared at her curiously. "I'm ready to go threaten some Krogan."

Kara nodded slowly. It was all they had left.

* * *

><p>Ilckane Dovar was much easier to find than Kara expected, and about as hospitable. She tramped about in heavy combat armor, studying her guests with an angry expression on her sharp face. She paused, a single dark eye studying Kara intently. "Run back to your worthless colleagues, Turian. I could chew you up armor and all, but I imagine you'd taste foul. The little human looks nice and tender, though."<p>

Kara smiled back calmly, leaning casually against the nearest wall. Typical Krogan bravado, and not nearly as terrifying as they pretended.

"If you'd stop slobbering like a diseased varren, we could explain why we're here," Garrus suggested, no more impressed by Dovar's show than Kara.

"Huh," she growled. "Speak."

"We're investigating the activities of Saren Arterius. Rumor has it that you've been recruiting Krogan mercs for him, with some sort of grand promise."

Dovar laughed. "If I was, I wouldn't be stupid enough to tell you, Turian."

Kara looked down at her hands, rubbing at her blunt nails. "It might be more foolish of you not to."

The Krogan female crossed the three meters between them in a few short steps. "Are you threatening me, human?"

"I rather think I am," Kara declared softly. And what was the proper response? Brave, stupid, or both? She wasn't concern with gaining the admiration of a Krogan warlord.

According to the Alliance, her biotics could shift about three hundred kilograms. Of course, they were wrong, but an armored Krogan typically massed in at a tonne or more. Kara followed the familiar steps, wrapping the Dovar in a mass effect field that lowered her mass, by more than a thousand times.

An armored Krogan, with a mass of less than a kilogram. She struggled to maintain the field as she pushed Dovar away. Most soldiers wore armor that attempted to counteract biotics attacks; Krogan relied on their mass.

"Put me down!" she demanded loudly. Garrus was staring in shock.

"I'm not in the mood for games," Kara grated. She was definitely pushing at the edge of her capacity, the strain threatening to form an impressive headache. "Tell us about Saren."

"I don't know anything," the Krogan insisted. "I just offer them a contract and ship them out. I don't even know where they go!"

Kara released the field. It was better than showing weakness by letting it fail, despite an angry Krogan falling over two meters to the floor. Once again massing over a tonne, it struck with some impact.

"What the hell was that?" Kaiden asked, coming in through the door.

Kara had asked him to wait outside, but she could hardly blame him for checking in. "Garrus was just giving us a demonstration of his prowess," she said, giving the Turian a warning glance.

"Uh, yeah," Garrus agreed quickly, his eyes narrowing in question. "When is the next group leaving?"

Dovar climbed to her feet. "There is no next group. I was told he has all the soldiers he needs. All true Krogan will flock to his banner when his campaign begins!"

* * *

><p>Kara sat on the window ledge of her temporary quarters. The view was amazing, the arms of the Citadel spreading out on all sides, glittering with millions of tiny lights. Freighters and passenger cruisers passed inward, toward the docking ring, or out to the Mass Relay, and here and there a Turian or Asari frigate patrolled the spacelanes. Further out, she could see the impressive bulk of the <em>Elleztere é Svesséa<em>, the Asari-made dreadnaught that served as the Council's flagship.  
>The name was typically translated as meaning 'Unity Shield', a reasonable approximation, Kara supposed, but rather inaccurate. 'Support of Solidarity' was more accurate, but didn't flow as nicely. The ship had twice the interior volume, and its main gun almost three times the firepower, of the Alliance's biggest warships.<p>

She sipped from a cup of earthy green tea, and sighed. The last few days had been oddly relaxing, as their investigation stagnated. She'd spend most of her time wandering the Citadel, talking with random strangers. She hardly spoken to another human, and only then to talk about Saren. She almost felt like a civilian.

As she sat, her omnitool began to beep incessantly, disrupting her gentle meditations. "What is it, Garrus?" she asked, answering the call.

"_Shepard_," the Turian said, the anxiety in his resonant voice clear even through the translator. "_I just got word that, six hours ago, a pair of Quarians smuggled themselves here on a freighter from Illium. The bloody idiot CSec officer-in-charge let them through customs. I might have a lead on them. Meet me in the wards, section twenty-two. A Doctor Michel's clinic._"

"I'm on my way, Garrus," Kara replied. Were they the same Quarians who had tried to sell information to the government of Illium? Five days was certainly time enough for a freighter to make the journey from there to the Citadel. Set her mug on the coffee table, before grabbing her shirt off the back of the settee and pulling it on. She brought up the _Normandy_'s duty roster on her omnitool, and selected the first name on the list. "Kaiden, I need you to join me on the Citadel, wards section twenty-two."

"_Yes, Commander_," he replied. "_I'll get there as soon as I can_."

* * *

><p>The aircar slowed swiftly, and hovered briefly over the transit point before landing. Kara pulled the release, and pushed the door open. Garrus was no where to be seen, so she assumed he had gone ahead, or perhaps used a different pad. She checked the nearest directory station for directions to the clinic, contemplated waiting for Kaiden, and decided to head out immediately. She wasn't sure what kind of attention the two Quarians had attracted, but she worried about letting Garrus handle it alone. She switched on her omnitool's tracker, so that he could find her when he arrived.<p>

The corridors of level twenty-two were much like the rest of the Wards, a uniform grey broken by the occasional starscape, and the glowing signs of shops. Following Alenko at a rapid pace, she didn't have much chance for a closer inspection. There were more humans here, and like the others races their clothes were cheaper, their faces tired. Poverty was a universal curse, brought on more by greed than a lack of resources. Neatly dressed and well-fed, she attracted a certain amount of attention, but she did not present an obviously vulnerable target, nor especially lucrative.

Before long, She came to a door painted with a white cross. She tapped the access panel.

The clinic was a single room, divided in the middle by a half wall, beyond which she could see beds. Garrus, wearing CSec armor, stood at the opening, his hands held up in a placating gesture.

Kara stepped through the door. The Turian was watching a young human, as he held an archaic-looking pistol against the cheek of a woman. His hair and clothes were ragged, while she wore a white coat, her brown hair pinned back neatly. She was Doctor Choe Michaels, Kara assumed. A hostage? Had Garrus interrupted a shakedown, or something else?

"What's going on here?" Kara demanded.

The man turned to face her, aiming his pistol at her. The look in his eyes was of sheer terror. "Who the fu-"

She saw the Turian pull his pistol out of the corner of her eye. "No, wait!" Modern weapons were relatively quiet, using mass acceleration technology and mass effect fields to fire metal shavings at deadly speeds. The first bullet hit the man in the shoulder, spinning him backwards. He didn't have armor or kinetic barriers. Two more hit him the chest, and he collapsed.

Kara noticed movement behind the doctor, opposite the Turian. More criminals? She sprinted across the room, switching on her portable shield generator as she did, using a chair to vault over the half-wall. The doctor was staring at her in surprise, and had no time to react before they connected, and fell in a heap between two beds.

She heard several more impacts, dull, wet _thumps_, followed by cries of pain. Then silence. She took a deep breath and stood, pulling Doctor Michel with her. She switched off her shields, and turned to face the Turian officer. "What the hell were you thinking? You _never_ put a hostage in danger like that."

"What? I saw a shot and I took it." His mandibles flared angrily. "Should I have waited until after he shot you?"

She took up an aggressive stance, intent on facing Garrus down. "Doctor, are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, thanks to you." She looked shaken, and a little bruised, so Kara relented, sitting beside her on the edge of a bed.

"Can you tell us who they were?"

"I don't know. This isn't the safest part of the Citadel."

"Could it have something to do with a Quarian you treated for a gunshot wound to the right arm?" Garrus asked.

The doctor blinked at him in surprise. "How did you know about her? I didn't keep any records-"

"She may have vital information. I need to track her down."

Kara glared at the Turian. "You think she's in danger, don't you, Doctor? We'll see that she's protected, but we must find her."

Michel nodded. "She told me she had important information, and that she wanted to trade it to the Shadow Broker for protection. I told her to contact Fist. He owns Chora's Den, and does business with the Broker."

"Chora's Den? Isn't that where we found Harkin, Commander?" Alenko asked, standing near the door, as though just arrived. He was wearing armor, a pistol on his hip.

"It is," she nodded.

Garrus looked down at the three bodies, their clothes stained with blood, and sighed. "Doctor Michel, I'm going to bring in a team from CSec to clean this up, and see if we can't figure out who sent them. You'll be contacted if we have any questions."

"Doctor. Chloe," Kara began. She believed the woman knew more about who sent the thugs than she let on. "If you think of anything that might help, or if you think you're in danger, please, contact me."

The doctor nodded, but didn't look up. Something _was_ bothering her, but Kara had no more time. "We have to go."

* * *

><p>Kara surveyed the scene with some concern. Fist had sent three well-armed and armored thugs to deal with the young Quarian. She stood in front of them, in an environment suit, and stubbornly refused to give up the evidence until they upheld their part of the bargain-that the Shadow Broker meet with her in person. Kara had to admire that kind of courage, but she didn't like the odds. Like her, Kaiden was unarmored, but at least he had a weapon.<p>

She gestured silently her companions; _circle behind them, and await my signal._ Alenko nodded, and pulled Garrus by the arm to get him to follow. They disappeared behind the stack of packing crates the filled the large space.

Kara turned her attention back to the confrontation. The mercenaries had subtly shifted their stances, a sure sign that they were preparing to attack. It was too soon. The Quarian wouldn't last long without support, even if she were prepared to defend herself.

_Damn it._ She walked forward calmly. She must have looked absurd, an unarmed woman in civilian clothes marching up to three armored mercenaries, but she didn't let it stop her from placing herself squarely between them and their intended victim. "Back off," she ordered flatly. "She's under my protection."

The lead mercenary, a tall Turian, took a swing at her with his assault rifle. She caught it and twisted, swinging him into the nearest crate. She pulled the rifle out of a Salarian's hand with a biotic field, and caught it as she charged full speed at the last, a human.

They fell to the ground, and as he struggled to throw her off she cracked the faceplate of his suit with the butt of her rifle. She kicked his weapon away, and turned to deal with the Turian.

To her surprise, the Quarian had him and the Salarian covered with his own rifle. She was about to comment, when Kaiden and Garrus ran into view, weapons ready. "What the hell?" Kaiden breathed.

Kara smirked, and planted her foot squarely on the chest of the fallen human. There was something oddly satisfying about so thoroughly trouncing the male of the species, which she could only attribute to more than three thousand years of ongoing oppression.

Garrus took over guarding the other two mercenaries, while Alenko took possession of the human. Kara turned to face the Quarian.

The young female had dropped her rifle. Two pale eyes shined dimly from behind her faceplate, fixed on Kara. Wondering what to make of her?

"I'm Kara Shepard, with the Systems Alliance. Thanks for watching my back," she said, with her best friendly smile. She knew something about Quarian culture, or at least about the right of passage they called the pilgrimage. If the girl was on hers, she couldn't be much more than a child, out in the galaxy for the first time.

It was difficult to tell without seeing the Quarian's face, but she seemed to relax a little. "Thanks for the rescue, Kara."

"It's what I do," Kara smirked. She felt sure that it came out very wrong, as a mangled attempt at flirtation, or conceit. It was lingering energy from the fight, left with no other outlet. She forced her mouth into a more serious line. "I'm glad to help. What's your name?"

"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. Tali."

"Tali. My fellow human over there is Kaiden Alenko. The Turian is Garrus Vakarian, from CSec. We came here looking for you."

Tali nodded. "Then you want this," she said, tapping a few keys on her omnitool.

A male Turian's voice played briefly, and an Asari. Saren, and who else? "Yes," she confirmed.

"In exchange for protection?"

Kara nodded. "I'll see to it personally."

* * *

><p>PS; if I haven't updated the next chapter yet, the first scene will start quite similarly to the 'Kara's Quarters' scene above. I'm aware of this, and have plans to fix it. For the moment, don't let it bother you.<p>

Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	3. Resignation

So I finally finished updating chapter three, formerly 'Our Only Hope'. Added about twelve hundred extra words, more integration of Kara's backstory. Integrated the redesign of the _Normandy_'s cargo deck. More Tali. Some people would say you can't go wrong with more Tali.

Enjoy.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER THREE<br>_Resignation_

Kara had returned to her quarters, staring again out the window into the expanse of the nebula. _Elleztere é Svesséa_ still hung where she could see it, a virtual city in space. The logistics necessary to support its crew of five thousand would be crippling, if it were not a virtual self-contained ecosystem, with hydroponic farms and recycling centers, able to provide nearly everything its crew needed, and spare parts as well. Humanity was at least a thousand years from even designing anything of the kind.

After the fight in the warehouse, Garrus and Kaiden had dragged the defeated mercenaries back to CSec, where they were locked up on charges of conspiracy to commit murder. Tali turned a Geth data core, the source of the recording of Saren, over to CSec's science division for analysis. In exchange, Kara put her up in quarters in the presidium section leased by the Alliance.

With the investigation complete, Kara had retreated to her quarters, where she sat sipping tea and staring into space as she considered what Saren had said;

_Eden Prime was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the conduit._

Then the Asari; _And one step closer to the return of the Reapers._

The beacon was the Prothean artifact, which had transmitted its message into her brain. She had no idea what the conduit was, but she assumed it was also some sort of Prothean device. The Reapers, then, could they be the threat the message warned against?

Everything else she came up with only added more questions. If the Reapers destroyed the galaxy-spanning civilization of the Protheans, why wouldn't they do the same to the diverse civilizations that thrived now? Why would Saren want that? Why did the Geth follow him?

The answers would only be found in close pursuit of Saren. She wondered who the task would go to; it was traditional to send a Spectre. If the Council offered her the job, and she expected them to, she had decided to decline. Her resignation from the Alliance was also filled out and ready to send.

The door chime interrupted her before she could start meditating on what to do with the rest of her life. She padded barefoot across the room, and keyed the door open.

"Hey, Commander," Tali said. The environmental suit she wore constantly made reading her expression impossible, but Kara had started learning to read the tone of her voice. She sounded nervous, lonely, and a bit tired.

"Kara, Tali. Come in."

"You're much more friendly than the other humans here." Relief. She walked straight to the settee and sat down. "One of them accused me of being a thief! She even called security on me."

Kara sighed, and sat beside her. "I'm sorry. That kind of behavior is inexcusable. Just give me her name, and I'll straighten her out."

"No, Kara, that's-it's not necessary."

Kara almost insisted. The Quarians had engaged in some dubious practices, following the loss of their homeworld, but not of that excused bigotry against an individual, and it was important that such attitudes be confronted. Her small reprimand would make little difference, though, against the weight of official policy.

"I didn't come for that anyway. I just wanted to say thank you."

"You don't need to," Kara said. "I know what it's like, to be on the wrong end of someone's preconceptions." Many times over, from nearly ever side.

"I do, because I-I want to go with you when you stop Saren."

"Me?" Kara wasn't certain if she'd said it aloud or not. "No. I won't. I'm not going after Saren, and even if I were, I wouldn't take you. Tracking him down will a long and bloody business."

"You're being silly, Kara," Tali said, though she sounded more resolute than amused. "Of course you are. 'It's what I do,' remember?"

"That was-_that_ was me being silly," Kara insisted. She wasn't interested in white-knighting her way around the galaxy; she had only ever done what was necessary.

"Then there's the beacon. Lieutenant Alenko told me what happened on Eden Prime. Whatever it showed you, Saren needed it. That means you know more about what he's after than anyone else."

"I'm sure that won't make much difference," Kara muttered. She was beginning to feel outmaneuvered. All the evidence suggested he'd been after the Beacon, which had stopped working after her encounter with it. It has been transferred to a team of Council scientists, who were attempting to figure out what had gone wrong, so there wasn't much chance of giving one of the current Spectres the same vision.  
>"Besides, what will it say about you, if you turn your back on this?" <p>

"Besides, what will it say about you, if you turn your back on this?"

_Do I care?_ "Tali, when I first joined the Alliance I wanted to be a heroine. Then the Blitz happened, and I became one, and for the first time I knew what it meant. It isn't clean, and it isn't fun. It's death. Blood and bodies, the injured and the dying screaming in pain. When I dream of what I did on Elysium, I wake up wishing I'd died there. I couldn't bear to expose you to that, and it's past time I stopped as well. The people who make heroes are the ones who bleat loudest for respect they haven't earned, only to demand protection when things go wrong. To hell with them. I just want to be a person."

Silence fell. Kara contemplated shattered illusions. Her perception of the world had undergone several radical shifts, of which Elysium was not the first. She had, with the aid of a biased military education system, grown into a confused and bigoted teen. It was just her luck that her personal first-contact came in the shapely form of a beautiful, and '_promiscuous'_, Asari, and that her semi-repressed lesbian younger self had found the possibilities impossible to resist. She had used poor judgement, but the ignorance she had learned from her teachers had enabled her as much as youth and hormones.

There was always so much to know, to learn. Schools, she realized, were not simply places of learning, but of indoctrination and-aside from a few outliers-human xeno-sociologists produced views of alien cultures distorted by pro-human ideology. That revelation had prompted her to leave Alliance space, stowed away on a freighter to the Citadel. She had immersed herself in alien cultures for four years, travelled the stars, and learned to make judgements for herself. The difference between what she was taught and what she experienced was subtle, but instructive. She had come so close to another life entirely, before she finally resolved to join the military, a decision which she found difficult to understand, but ten years and Elysium stood between her and her younger self.

Tali stood, pacing halfway across the room before turning. "You are a person. A strong, intelligent person, who would risk her life to save a Quarian she didn't even know. Forgive me, Kara, but I don't believe you."

"Tali, the Council has other Spectres. I'm sure one of them could track down Saren. There was no one else to stop those mercenaries." She wondered if the young Quarian could read her well enough to see how conflicted she actually felt. If anyone had asked her to fight a war, she would have walked away without question. She refused to kill for the benefit of an elite few. Would stopping Saren be any different? She had only hints of his agenda, most of them drawn from a hazy, half-remembered dream, the rest asserted by Anderson, tinged as they were by bitterness towards the rogue Spectre. "Someone else can play the hero this time."

"You're really going to walk away? Let the galaxy burn, so you can feel all righteous?" Irritation, or anger? Her dimly glowing eyes were narrowed and glaring.

"It's not that simple," Kara sighed. Not than anything ever was. "It's about principals, and when to make a stand. We'll never run out of crises to be solved, each more dire than the last, each new enemy more irredeemably evil. I've seen it happen before, and know what it can justify. No, I'm going to walk away. I've every faith the galaxy will manage without me."

"You're really willing to risk being wrong?"

And letting the Galaxy burn? Kara sighed again. Tali was right, and even if it failed to make her indispensable, she had to accept that the vision might be more important than she liked to admit. It was so easy for a person to see what they wanted, and to disregard the rest. It made sense to send her after Saren, and she did not want to acknowledge it; but she refused to shy away from uncomfortable truths. "I'll take the mission, Tali, _if_ the Council asks me to, but you're still not coming along."

"I lost a friend to that bosh'tet Turian already, Kara," the Quarian snapped, "or did you forget? He didn't deserve to die like that."

The second Qurian who had come in from Illium had been another Pilgrim, Keenah'Breizh. A Turian mercenary, hired by Saren, had somehow tracked them from Illium, killing Keenah only a few minutes after they left Customs. The mercenary was also dead, killed by a trap Tali set for him in one of the Citadel's many recycling centers.

Kara studied Tali's softly glowing eyes, reflecting the lights of the suit's internal displays. Acts of revenge were counterproductive, and she had no intention of facilitating the young Quarian in hers.

"You can't ask me to let this go, Kara," Tali said, possibly with a triumphant, though invisible, smile. "I'm supposed to be out here proving my worth, remember?"

Kara sighed. It wasn't that she doubted Tali's value, both as a technician and a soldier, or that she had any cause to question the Quarian's motive. Maybe she saw a little of her own coming of age in their Pilgrimage tradition, and wanted to protect Tali from the reality of war.

In the end, she had to let Tali make that choice for herself. "Yes. Very well."

* * *

><p>Kara arrived at the base of the Presidium Tower a comfortable few minutes before the Council had scheduled their meeting. Tali, also summoned, had come with her, looking around with more than a little awe. The necessities of Quarian existence did not grant them much space, or much access to luxury, and the Presidium had both in abundance.<p>

"You remember our agreement, right?" the Quarian asked, softly, as the lift carried them inward.

"Of course," Kara stated. She remembered, and regretting it. No doubt the Alliance would attempt to take political advantage of her, just as they had tried—and failed—to do after Elysium. She would find a way to sabotage that, at least.

"Hey, where's your ambassador, um, Udina?"

That was actually an astute question. Normal protocol would be for them to contact the ambassador, but that was potentially negated if they were still considering her for Spectre. It suggested he wouldn't even be present at this meeting, which she considered a relief. "I don't know."

"Aren't you nervous? I can't imagine why they want to talk to me. It isn't like I know anything more."

Kara shook her head. She rarely got nervous, not anymore, and what apprehension she felt had more to do with wanting to avoid Spectre status than anything else. "They may want to thank you." She also had to consider the possibility that Tali's evidence was falsified.

"Oh. Uh, that didn't help. Has anyone ever told you that you're not very talkative?"

"Frequently," she smiled. "I'm sorry, Tali. I'm a little distracted, but if it'll help, we can talk about whatever you'd like."

This, as the lift came to a halt. It had taken them from the ring of Presidium to the tower, at the center of the ring, and from there to its very pinnacle, where the Council chambers were located, without its occupants even noticing the change of momentum. The door slid open on a dimly lit hall, half a kilometer in length. "I want to know more about you. I mean, I saw your public record, how is it you know so much about Quarians?"

Because she'd met another pilgrim, years ago, and they'd been close for a time. Before she moved on. "There's plenty of information on your people in the Citadel public database," Kara said. "Pre- and post-exile. Studying alien cultures is a hobby of mine."

"Oh," Tali said, sounding disappointed.

"You were expecting excitement and adventure?" Kara replied, smiling softly.

"Yes. I guess," the Qurian shrugged. "You feel like someone with stories to tell."

The lift came to a rapid halt, the door opening onto the wide Council Hall, which climbed by park-like terraces, complete with trees, flowers, and fountains, up to the Council Chambers, at the top. Unlike the wards, the tower didn't rotate, its gravity generated by mass effect fields and not centrifugal force.

"Hey, there's Garrus," the Quarian said, pointing out a Turian in a CSec uniform, who had just turned towards them. "Garrus!"

"Miss Tali'Zorah," he said, nodding politely. "Commander Shepard. The lab report came in a couple of hours ago, confirming that the recordings are authentic. Now it's just a question of what the Council will do about it."

Actually, the solution was obvious. Granting her Spectre status and sending her after Saren would do much to appease the Alliance. If she succeeded, her victory would bring publicity, reflecting well on her species. If she didn't, they could always send someone else.

"Make Kara a Spectre, and send her after Saren."

"Wait, so that's what you meant when you said they were testing you?" Garrus asked, shaking his head at the realization. "I take it they don't know about you and Krogan-tossing?"

Kara shrugged. As far as the Alliance knew, she suffered intense migraines from using her biotics, a side effect of their primitive L2 implants. Only a half-dozen Asari knew better, if they even made the connection between her and the young girl they had saved. "We shouldn't keep the Council waiting."

"Yeah," Garrus agreed. "This way."

Of course, the Council held its audiences on the highest terrace. The Turian led them onto a platform, lit from below by dim light that filtered up through the branches of more red trees.

On a balcony overlooking them, the Council waited. The gap between the petitioner's bridge and their position, the elevation, all served to stress the importance of the Councillors. However, the Council had limited power to rule on the internal affairs of its member species, their domain being primarily interspecies relations.

"Commander Shepard," began the Turian, Varrus Sparatus, "the evidence supplied by the Quarian Tali'Zorah has been verified by our best forensic experts. It cannot be refuted. Saren has been stripped of his Spectre status, and all efforts will be made to bring him in to answer for his crimes."

"The other voice belongs to Matriach Benezia T'Soni," added Adar Tevos. "She was a strong and influential voice within the Republic, until she disappeared over a year ago, along with many of her supporters. We are making efforts to understand her motives, but she left very little behind."

"Commander, your report from Eden Prime states that you received a vision from the Prothean Beacon you retrieved," said Tellin Valern. "The Geth module contained scraps of information about these 'Reapers'. Did the Beacon provide you with any insight?"

"No," Kara shook her head, brushing her fingers through her hair as she did. "There's too much missing. The best way to find out more would be to go after Saren; if these Reapers are real, he's working for them."

"Commander," Tevos inquired, sounding almost amused, "are you volunteering?"

"No!" Sparatus' angry statement mirrored Kara's thoughts. He turned towards Tevos. "We've discussed this. Humanity is not ready for the responsibilities that come with joining the Spectres."

"Councillor," Kara said irritably, interrupting Tevos' response. "I am not humanity. If you wish to dismiss me, do so for my own flaws, not those of my species."

Behind her, Tali whispered to Garrus; "Didn't I tell you?"

On the balcony, Tevos turned to Valern, who nodded at her. "It is our judgement, Varrus," she said, turning back to the Turian, "That Kara Shepard is prepared for the rights and responsibilities of the Spectres."

His mandibles flaring irritably, Sparatus nodded his ascent.

"Commander Shepard," Tevos said. "Step forward."

* * *

><p>"Commander Shepard, it was inappropriate of you to meet with the Council without my presence," Ambassador Udina insisted.<p>

Kara smiled. It was, she knew, an inappropriate response, but he was not a member of the Alliance military, and had no authority over her. Now that she was a Spectre, she didn't answer to him at all. "If the Council had desired your presence, they certainly would have requested it. They did not. Since you do not represent me, and I do not represent humanity, I saw no reason to object."

After making her a Spectre, Councillor Tevos had raised the only potential lead they had at present; Benezia had a daughter, a Prothean expert named Liara T'Soni. Kara found it a stretch to believe the younger Asari's speciality was a coincidence, so finding and recovering her made sense.

In order to accomplish that, and to follow any other potential leads, she needed a ship and crew. Serendipity had recent placed the _Normandy_ in her path; fast, but able to defend itself at need, and more importantly with the unique ability to avoid combat when possible. It would be ideal, if she could convince the Alliance to relinquish it.

"_I_ represent human interests before the Council, Shepard. _I_ decide if my presence is required. If you can't accept that, a transfer to a less demanding post could be arranged."

"Not by you," Kara answered flatly. Sniping with Udina was a waste of time, she reminded herself, and turned her attention to her former CO.

"What's going on, Shepard?" Anderson asked.

"I forwarded my resignation to your account on my way here. The Council accepted Tali'Zorah's evidence against Saren. I've been granted Spectre status, and assigned to hunt him down." She could see Anderson's objection forming in his eyes even before she finished speaking, and held up a hand to stop him. "I just took an oath to the Council. I believe my obligations as an officer in the Alliance conflict with it. I have to do this."

"How do you plan on going after Saren, Shepard? You'll need a ship and crew."

She met his gaze calmly, confidently. "I'll take _Normandy_."

"That's completely unacceptable, Miss Shepard," Udina declared. "If you remained with the Alliance, you could-"

"Captain, you know this is necessary. I'll commandeer it if I must, but my chances would be much better if I could keep the crew, and it'd look better on the news." According to precedent, a Spectre could demand assistance from military vessels, and expect to receive it. Claiming the ship for herself would be controversial, but well within her rights. She could certainly imagine how it would look from a pro-human point of view; a former Alliance officer, corrupted by the Council, steals a prototype warship from her former captain. From the other side, it'd be a tale of humanity demanding respect, while rejecting its responsibilities.

Anderson didn't have the authority to give her the ship, as they both knew, but his chance of gaining Udina's support was much higher than hers. He nodded slightly. "Ambassador, Shepard is right. We need her, and not just to stop Saren. She's still the symbol we wanted, if not the one we expected."

She was already a heroine; now they wanted to turn her into a figurehead. The prospect was not appealing. Perhaps the solution was to make herself not-so-subtly flawed in the public eye. Exposing her anarchist tendencies would serve nicely.

"We can't just give her the _Normandy_. Most of its systems are still classified-"

"-just what she needs-"

"-lock her in the brig, not make her a Spectre-"

"-she's our only hope-"

Kara stood abruptly. "Excuse me. I have a mission to prepare for." _She's our only hope._ Next time she tuned out of a conversation, she hoped her brain would pick up bits of it that were less clichéd, and less absurd. She escaped quickly, and closed the embassy door behind her before the two men could object.

* * *

><p>"So, what do you think?" Kara asked her companion. They had just left engineering, the final stop on Tali's orientation tour of the <em>Normandy<em>. The Quarian had seemed quite excited by it all, and had listened intently to her basic description of how everything worked.

"It is impressive. I had no idea humans were so advanced."

"We aren't," Kara said. "The ship was designed in collaboration with the Turian Hierarchy, and much of the technology is theirs. Tali-" she looked around warily, but the corridor was empty of people— "I've decided to commandeer the _Normandy_."

"Kara, what?!"

"I don't expect Udina to give it to me, but we'll need a ship to track Saren. As a Spectre, I have the right and authority."

"To steal a ship?" Tali said, her near-whisper almost disguising her anxiety. "My father would kill me."

Kara didn't want to push, but they didn't have much time. "You were the one who insisted on coming along," she smiled, "and you were right. I do need your help."

"Okay, borrow a ship. That doesn't sound so bad, right? Keelah, I can't believe I'm even thinking about this."

"Why don't you take a look around, maybe get to know some of the crew." Hopefully, convince a few of the engineers that the mission was important enough to risk a mutiny over.

"Sure, Kara," the Quarian nodded, immediately turning back to Engineering.

Kara believed she could trust Tali. In addition, Garrus had signed on, and she'd survived a most interesting encounter with a Krogan battlemaster in the Wards. Kaiden might be persuaded to follow her, though not Williams. Some of the other marines knew her, and might trust her enough to join her. She didn't think she could expect much more, and would have to rely on the strength of her arguments to clear the ship.

Williams was probably in the training room, on the left side of the cargo deck, where she'd spent most of her time since leaving Eden Prime. Kara decided to check on her.

Walking through the door, she found the black-haired young woman sniping targets on the ship's VR firing range. "Hey, Commander," she said, the holographic headset shutting down as she turned away from the wall.

"Chief," Kara nodded in return. As she was still dressed in civilian clothes, the noncom didn't salute. "Williams-Ash. You're an excellent marine, a credit to the corps. The news hasn't come down yet, but the Council has sent me after Saren, and I'd like to have you on my team."

"They made you a Spectre?" the Chief asked, clearly surprised. Because the nasty alien Council chose a human? "Congratulations, sir. I can't think of anyone better for the job. It'd be an honor to fight alongside you."

_An honor_. That assessment would no doubt change. "There's one thing we need to clear up, Ash. My first duty is to the Council, and the people it protects, not to the Alliance. If you aren't comfortable with that, or with working alongside non-humans, speak up now. I'll recommend your transfer to another ship."

Ashley raised her chin in defiant determination. "That's not necessary, sir."

"Good," Kara said. It felt like a victory, if a small one. She needed something to go right in her life, just for a change. "This should be an interesting mission, if I can get it out of spacedock."

"Problems? Anything I can do to help?"

Williams was a good soldier, competent and sharp. Her team mates consistently praised her abilities, but her career progressed slowly, represented in her personnel as nothing more than a long string of denied transfers. It didn't take long to realize why; Ashley's grandfather, General Aral Williams, had commanded the Alliance garrison on the colony world of Shanxi. During the brief First Contact War, Turian forces had occupied the planet, and cut off from resupply, outnumbered, and outgunned, he surrendered the garrison to the enemy. An armistice was declared soon after, and the war ended, but the move ended the general's career, and that of his granddaughter, as well.

"I'm sure you don't hear this very often, Chief, but your grandfather made the right choice. He chose to save lives, rather than keep fighting a battle he knew he couldn't win. How many of us would do the same?"

The marine paled, and fiddling with the disassembled gun she'd been cleaning when Kara arrived. "You know?"

"It wasn't hard to figure out."

"I guess not. I watched my father get constantly passed up for promotion, all because of Shanxi. I remember how frustrated he was, and I went and joined up anyway. I guess it takes a special kind of stupid to join an organization that's blacklisted you."

"Or determination," Kara said softly. "It brought you here, and now you're going to get your chance to prove yourself." It wasn't likely to work out how the petty officer expected, and she deserved a fair warning. "Chief, you should know how this might work out. I'm going to need the _Normandy_, and I don't have time for the Alliance brass to pull their heads out of their asses. I may have to seize the ship."

"You serious, sir?" Williams asked, regarding her commander with amusement.

"I am," Kara asserted. "As a Spectre, I have the right and the responsibility to do what I must to protect the galaxy." Of course, the question would never have come up if she'd better controlled her desire to thumb her nose at Udina.

Williams stood in silence for a time. "Going along with you would finish the Williams name off forever."

"Only if we lose." If they succeeded, they would be lauded as heroes. Or shot in the back.

"I'll consider it."

Knowing that she wasn't likely to get more from the marine, Kara made her farewells and withdrew. She needed solid support from someone who could rally the crew on her behalf. Someone who believed in a galactic community, and that the crew would trust. _Captain Anderson_. He was the logical choice, and pragmatic enough to see the necessity of giving her the ship. She would have a talk with him when he got back.

While the waited, she took the lift up to the crew deck, and then the curved stairs up to the bridge. Except for the salutes of a pair of marines, no one noticed her walk into the briefing room and seal the door. She took a seat at the secondary console, and entered an extranet search for Urdnot Wrex. The Krogan mercenary had tried to kill her-or not, he claimed-in the wards. Not much turned up; a few mentions of contracts he served, and some dropped criminal charges. Both went back centuries, to about half a century after the Krogan Rebellions, and that had ended more than a thousand years before.

He'd been right. He knew war, and she could find a use for him, if he could be trusted. She spent an hour digging through the available files, without learning much more. Finally, she decided to try a different tactic.

She entered the comm code Garrus had given her, and soon the Turian's image appeared on the display. "Shepard. Is it time?"

"Just a few hours. Any luck with your friends in Citadel Control?"

Garrus grinned. "We'll be free to go. How's your end?"

"I'm making progress. Garrus, can you get me any information about a Krogan merc, Urdnot Wrex?"

"I heard he was on the Citadel, gunning for Fist. We're not sure who hired him." He searched CSec's archives while he spoke. When he continued, she could see his eyes scanning lines of text. "He's kept out of trouble. That's unusual for a Krogan. No breach of contract complaints, no criminal convictions. Someone registered a fight between him and a female human in Wards Section 22, last night. Civilian clothes, red hair." His dark eyes focused on her. "You have something to tell me, Shepard?"

"He claimed he was testing me, and then he offered to help hunt down Saren. I didn't commit myself."

The Turian chuckled. "Those three mercs in the warehouse were one thing, but you took on an armored Krogan? And won?"

"Did I?" Kara snapped. So she'd been in a position to scatter his brains across the corridor. "Look, Garrus, I just need to know if I can trust him."

"I don't think he's working for Saren, if that's what concerns you."

In part, it was. It also sounded like he could follow orders, and she was in desperate need of help. No matter that she detested mercenaries. "I'll bring him in," she decided. "Get yourself up here when you're ready. I've cleared you for access."

"Got it, Shepard," he said, giving her a mock-salute before signing off.

Kara started to contact Wrex when the hatch slid open. She cleared the screen, and turned.

"You certainly have a way of making a mess of things, Shepard," Captain Anderson said wearily. "Couldn't you have sent your resignation _after_ you were clear of Citadel space?"

"No. Forcing this choice on the Alliance was the point. They insisted that I retain my commission if I want the ship?" She could tell from his expression that she'd guessed correctly. "Well, I'm taking it anyway. I can make the case alone, if you'd prefer, but I need the crew, and more of them will follow me with your approval."

They both knew that lending his support to her plan would mean the end of his career. Considering all the implications, she expected the Alliance to come down hard. "You don't leave me much choice. Saren's a thug, and you're the one to stop him-and show the galaxy what humanity is capable of."

Kara sighed inwardly. Long experience allowed her to control her anger at such comments-as if she were some sort of paragon, or had any desire to represent humanity. She had only ever done what circumstances demanded, but she could ill-afford to antagonize the one man in the Alliance who might actually help her.

"You really think you can pull this off, Shepard?"

"I do," she said. _An officer should always present the appearance of confidence to her subordinates_. One could cover up innumerable failures beneath a façade of confidence, sometimes from the very people who were most affected. It wasn't her style, but again, she needed his help.

He studied her silently. She wondered what he saw when he looked at her. A fool, demanding her own way like an arrogant child, or the self-confident officer who had risked court-martial more than once by disobeying orders that she disagreed with? "I'm sorry. I won't help you take the _Normandy._"

"Then, under the authority granted me by the council, I'm-"

She cut herself off when the door opened. A young woman stood in the gap. Her rich, brown eyes, quickly assessing the scene before her, were the first thing about her to catch Kara's attention.

"Who are you?" the Captain demanded of the intruder. His surprise at finding a civilian wandering about his ship was understandable, but Kara had reason to not want him to know her identity.

"Captain, this is a friend of mine-I have some business with her," she said, before her guest could answer him. The woman was Emily Wong, a still-unknown journalist, who had come at her invitation, but they had never met. "If you'll excuse us."

* * *

><p>"Hello," Emily Wong effused into her camera, hovering at about head-height, half a meter away from her. "I'm Emily Wong, and I'm here in the briefing room of the <em>SSV Normandy<em> with Commander Kara Shepard, Alliance marine and heroine of the Elysium, now a Council Spectre. Commander-"

"It's just Kara, Emily. I've resigned my commission," Kara interjected. While it was traditional to address an officer by their rank even after they retired, she preferred a cleaner break with the Alliance.

"Why, Comm-Kara?"

Kara smiled, and waited a few seconds for the camera to focus on her properly. "The Council and the Alliance share some interests, but they are still competing organizations. I cannot honestly pledge loyalty to both. I also wanted to divorce myself from the Alliance's attempts to gain power. I did not accept the Council's offer to advance human interests, as represented by the Alliance."

"Why did you accept Spectre status, then?"

"To end a specific threat. Once that is accomplished, I intend to stand down."

"What threat?"

Kara had already considered her response carefully. Most would council secrecy out of reflex, but instinct and reason both told her that Saren already knew. She told the truth, leaving out only the references to the Conduit and the Reapers.

"I've requested that the _Normandy_ be transferred to my command," she continued, "but the Alliance has refused. The interests of humanity lie, it seems, in contrast to those of the Council, and the Alliance is unwilling to make so small a sacrifice as a single frigate." She leaned forward, into the camera. "I intend to take it anyway."

Emily's eyes widened. "You're going to-"

"Yes," Kara affirmed.

From the sharp edge to her voice, Kara guessed that the young journalist was keenly aware that, having foreknowledge of a crime, she was obliged to report it, or be considered an accessory. To what authority did one make such a report? Or was such a thing within the authority of a Spectre? Kara doubted that Emily knew.

"I have urgent need of a ship with the _Normandy_'s capabilities, and the Council requires that members provide all necessary assistance to its Spectres. Ambassador Udina demanded action from the Council after Saren's attack on Eden Prime; he demanded that they deploy their ships and crews to defend our colonies. I ask only one ship, and its crew, for the same purpose."

"To defend humanity?"

"So long as we accept that we are part of the galaxy. Whatever Saren intends, it is bigger than our minor species."

Emily sat quietly, pondering her next question. She appeared to have recovered from her surprise, though Kara wondered if she had quite decided what to do. "What does it feel like to be the first human Spectre?"

Kara held off her angry glare for the benefit of the camera. It was an idiotic question, that invited self-adulation. She simply refused to speak any foolishness about honor and responsibility, but anger was not appropriate either. It felt like another burden she didn't want; another excuse to turn her life into a movie, with plenty of quiet, attractive men helping her to make the right decisions from the background. It felt like another step on the road to hell. "Much the same as not," she replied, with a faint smile. It was sufficiently vague, she hoped, to not allow for positive interpretation.

It was only a faint hope, but it took Emily by surprise. "You don't want to be a Spectre?" she blurted out; it was perfect, though not for her.

"No. Show me someone who wishes to be a hero, and I'll show you a fool. I've been both. What I want is a quiet life; did you know I play the violin? There are Quarian composers whose works far surpass Mozart or Beethoven; Turian epics that put Gilgamesh and Beowulf to shame; Asari poets whose verse can stir the heart more potently than all the sonnets of Shakespeare; and each of them are worthy of a lifetime's study. Would that I had more than one, or that I could spend this one as I choose.

"However, I was reminded recently that I'm not the type to set aside burdens. So I do what I must, but I want to make it clear," Kara continued, leaning forward and staring directly into the camera. "I don't represent humanity, or Earth, and certainly not the Alliance. I'm not going to be your standard-bearer, or your heroine."

Emily had gone pale, probably contemplating her career, or its swift end. "Kara Shepard, former Alliance officer, and now a Council Spectre. Thank you, Kara."

Kara merely smiled and nodded. Emily shut off the drone; it dropped slowly into her waiting hand.

Silence fell comfortably over the room. Relieved though she was to have the interview done with, Kara hardly felt any more relaxed. There were too many waiting burdens for that.

* * *

><p>If you're enjoyinghating/completely ambivalent about this story, please leave a review.


	4. Truths

I always wondered why the Council didn't demand that Shepard resign from the Alliance. It makes sense; after all, do you really want your elite agents to be in the service of a separate, though allied, state? Also, no oath did they lay upon her, just some amusingly elitist lines about 'spectres being born, not made'.

So I decided to make Kara an actual renegade, not the bigoted pissant that passes for such in Bioware's minds. Speaking of divided loyalties. At least Kara chose a side.

Short update, I know. I wanted this to stand alone. Next chapter will be short, too.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER FOUR<br>Truths_  
><em>

_All hands, this is Shepard. As most of you have heard, the Council has appointed me to the ranks of the Spectres. My charge is to discover and disrupt plans of Saren Arterius, and to bring him into custody. His actions on Eden Prime speak to his cruelty, where he sought the same Prothean beacon we were sent to retrieve._

_I accepted this duty with great reluctance. I no more desire to obey the will of the Council than I do the Alliance; I judge that both serve the elite first, and I do not serve the rich. Wars are ever squabbles between elites, fought with our blood, and we should refuse our part. In Saren, though, I see a threat not just to those with power, but to us all, regardless of race or wealth._

_If so, he must be stopped. To do so, I need a ship; the_ Normandy. _We will have need of stealth and speed, to pass by the enemy unmarked. No other ship in the fleet is capable of such a feat. I requested that the ship be transferred to my command. The Alliance refused. It was they who demanded a human Spectre, and now reject her. They are more concerned with politics than their stated goals, for they have discovered that I am not what they imagined; as an agent of the Council, I resigned my commission as an officer of the Alliance._

_Within their narrow reasoning, they are right to be concerned. The Alliance and the Council have their conflicts of interest, but the task before me serves us all. Would we not be better served by working together, setting aside our self-interest, for the benefit of the whole? Is one ship too much to ask?_

_I cannot in good conscience accept the Alliance's decision, for it would mean abandoning a task I pledged to complete. As an associate member of the Council, the Systems Alliance is obliged to lend all necessary aid to Council Spectres, and my need is great. I am taking command of the_ Normandy_, in the name of the Council. I will not compel you to join me in this, but I will need a crew. The choice is yours; help me defeat Saren, or take your leave._

_As you consider your decision, think on this; why did you join the service? I am offering you a chance to make a difference._

_Those of you who wish to disembark, assemble on the bridge in one hour. Shepard out._


	5. Departure

Update 27/4: For more Ehigha!

* * *

><p>CHAPTER FIVE<br>Departure

After finishing her announcement, Kara made her way to the _Normandy_'s mess. Garrus, armed and armored as if her bodyguard, followed her down the stairs. She had tried to ward him off, but it proved of no use.

"Not a very rousing speech, Shepard," he told her, while they were still isolated by the curved stairwell.

Kara shrugged. "The truth 'tis always preferable to lies." Even so, she had seriously considered more standard fare. Appeals to patriotism, essays into the nobility of sacrifice and the glories of war. Once, she might have pulled off something of the kind, but no longer. She no longer believed.

In the mess, she took a seat facing the stairs, at the end of one of the tables. Garrus withdrew to the near wall, keeping careful watch over the room.

The half-dozen crew, gathered together at the far end of the table, were speaking in hushed whispers and glancing in her direction. Though she could not make out their words, she could guess at the arc of their conversation. "_Is she serious?"_ they wondered. Yes, they would quickly conclude. News of her elevation to Spectre had already hit the net. Captain Anderson had disembarked, weakening any potential resistance. She had also invited three non-humans aboard, one of which stood nearby, equipped for trouble. Surely they considered offering it, as it was the duty of a crew to oppose a mutiny; but she had also claimed superior authority, which some amongst them might acknowledge.

It was Alenko who approached her first. She had encouraged him earlier, in the hopes that he might demonstrate her availability. "What the hell were you thinking, Shepard?" he asked abruptly. She could see the pain of yet another headache buried in his eyes, the result of his primitive biotic implant. He had gotten off lightly with frequent migraines. She had an advanced Asari model, purchased specially for her by her parents.

Kara laughed. "Are you questioning my sanity in general, or were you wondering about something specific?" she replied, careful to keep her tone light. Both, she guessed, which his conflicted expression confirmed.

"You're asking a lot. Our careers, maybe our futures. I've no desire to spend the rest of my life an exile."

She found it an encouraging statement. Self-interest was a basic, honest objection, more so than concern for duty to the state. "I won't make any promises I can't keep, Kaiden. Maybe they'll claim I led you astray; maybe they'll call you a traitor. I don't know. Whatever happens, I'll do my best to protect those who followed me." She feared it was still an empty promise, as the Alliance would demand what she had already refused to give. He did not realize this, seeing only the truth of her intent and not the limits of her abilities.

"Saren needs to be stopped, Shepard. If the Council thinks you're the one to do it, I'll go along, but this attitude of yours is only going to hurt us."

"I know," Kara replied softly. She let her eyes finish the sentence; _but I won't let that stop me._

Satisfied, Alenko joined Garrus in his silent vigil, leaving her to spend the rest of the hour talking to more of the crew. Lieutenant Ehigha Eze, doctor, joined her next at the table. "What I want to know, Commander, is why. I heard what you said, but the Alliance wanted a Spectre. They wouldn't have interfered with the Council's orders, _if_ you'd kept your commission."

"You think this is about appearances?" Kara inquired, her brow rising skeptically. The dark-skinned man raised his hands, palms up. "Is it so hard to believe that I meant what I said?"

Ehigha leaned on the table, crossing his arms. "In my experience, very few people tell the truth when their own interests are concerned."

"You're an Earther, right?"

He nodded shortly. "I'm from Nigeria, on the west coast of Africa."

Kara's knowledge of Earth consisted mostly of history, and extended only mildly into geography. She could name the continents, and some of the major nation-states of the last thousand years, but not much beyond that. The major powers had exploited the people and resources of Africa for as far back as she recalled. The exploiters had changed from Europeans and the US to Indian and China, but the results remained the same even today. "Then you know what I said about the Alliance is true."

"Yes," he admitted, "but it's your intentions I'm not sure about."

"My _intent_ is to stop Saren, not to harm the Alliance."

"I guess it just comes down to trust," Ehigha said. He leaned back, rubbing his hand across his mount. "Okay. Karin intends to back you, and that's enough for me."

Kara nodded in relief. Losing the medical staff wouldn't be as instantly devastating as the engineering crew, but it would raise the risk factor immensely. Sure, marine officers were trained in first aid, but Karin had studied xenobiology, and Ehigha had an excellent record as a combat medic. Neither one could be easily replaced.

After he left, more of the crew continued to arrive, usually in groups of three or four. The _Normandy_ only had a dedicated crew of twenty-five, plus a squad of marines, so it didn't take long to go through them. Why did she resign, they wondered. Couldn't the Council provide a vessel? Most were uncertain, but some were hostile, with one marine outright accusing her of treason. She responded to each as calmly and honestly as she could, for all her fraying patience.

Finally, her omnitool began to flash beneath her sleeve. She fielded one last question, before heading back to the command deck.

* * *

><p>Kara sealed the airlock herself, sighing in irritation. She'd just lost more than half her crew, including Williams and the navigation officer. It was about what she expected, when not indulging foolish hopes. Wrex's presence on the command deck, armored and casually fingering his assault rifle, had staved off any attempted at mutiny, much to her relief. She could not have won that battle.<p>

So yes, things had gone well. _Well enough_. She turned to the nearest station, and activated the intercom. "All hands, this is Shepard. Prepare for departure." Best to be gone immediately, before the Alliance could muster resistance. They would already know what she had done, and their response would be quick in coming. "Garrus, get those docking clamps released. Moreau, you ready?"

"Ready to fly, cap'n," the pilot joked, turning in his seat.

Kara held back a sigh. It was easier to let the title pass unchecked. He was young and cocky, but also one of the best light warship pilots of his generation. Whatever doubts he faced internally, he had declared his side with with a joke; _As long as I get to fly_. Soon, she hoped. "Garrus?"

"The _Normandy_'s port systems access has been locked down. I'm attempting to send the release command through my CSec account. It'll take a few minutes," the Turian growled from his seat at the forward console.

Kara tapped a nervous rhythm on the back of the empty copilot's seat, before stilling her hand. Everyone moment of delay was one more in which the Alliance could organize to stop them. It would not take long to send a squad of marines with cutting gear to try and retake the ship. At the same time, the Alliance's warships prepared to blockade the Mass Relay, a move that the Council's Citadel Fleet would not take kindly to. The first she could handle, but she had no desire to be the cause of an incident between the allied fleets.

"Captain, we've got company," declared Ensign Brynja Ásdísdóttir, the youngest officer onboard. Fresh graduates usually had heads too filled with notions like duty and honor for much in the way of independent thought, but she had chosen to stay. Pale blond hair, cut just long enough to tie back, framed her narrow face. Her blue eyes shined with intelligence. Someone worthy of note, Kara decided, though not the only one.

Kara leaned over the young woman's shoulder to study her display. Sixteen marines in full battle gear, one carrying a cutting torch, were lining up on the dock outside. "They'll try and hack the controls first, Brynja," she said. "Hold them off as long as you can, but let them through the outer door before they start cutting."

"Yes, sir," Brynja said. Her voice was uncertain, but resolute.

"Trust yourself," Kara said, touching her shoulder.

Brynja turned, catching Kara's eyes with her own.

_I trust you_, Kara declared silently, smiling as she did. She had no other choice. The blond nodded, her attention returning to her console.

Yes, the possibility of betrayal had crossed Kara's mind. If it happened, it would need to be before they left Citadel space, where the Alliance could most easily act against them, uncomplicated by the presence of enemies. Brynja had a perfect opportunity, if she cared to take it. Kara consciously turned her back on the officer. "We're running out of time, Garrus."

"They encrypted their docking protocols," the Turian grumbled. "Just another minute."

Kara leaned over the nearest console, and switched the intercom on again. "Wrex, you'd better get up here. Bring my pistol."

She surprised even herself, then. She had assumed, consciously at least, that if the marines breached the ship she would let them take it without a fight. Likely the Council would decline to support her-they had not pre-approved her commandeering the _Normandy_-and she would spend the rest of her life in a cell. Did she really intend otherwise, endangering not only herself, but her crew?

"Captain!" Brynja's normally melodic voice grated with panic. "They're about to break through!"

"Hey, stay calm," Kara told her; she wished she could take the same advice. She pulled open the access panel, and threw the manual lock. They would have to cut through the inner door, but it wouldn't take them long. "Garrus..."

"Got it, Shepard. Clamps released."

"Get us out of here, Moreau."

"Aye, sir," he muttered; quiet as it was, she could hear the relief in his voice. They had all taken a risk, and to fail even before escaping the Citadel would have been frustrating and embarrassing. Now, at least, they could say they'd made a go of it.

The ship backed quickly away from the docking ring. As they turned, she could see an armored figure dangling over the edge of the platform, its fellow marines attempting to pull it up. In the low gravity, it was a relatively easy task.

Kara took the copilots seat. The view of the nebula was beautiful, but she remained wary. Now that they were away, the Alliance could only stop them by overriding their computer, or opening fire. She had taken care of the first. The second, she hoped, they would not risk with so much civilian traffic about.

While she had no training with anything larger than a troop shuttle, Kara could read the controls well enough. An Alliance cruiser had taken up position near the Relay, where it seemed preoccupied by a Turian patrol. Thankfully, they had no permanent presence in the Serpent Nebula, or there would have been more. Their distraction presented a chance to slip past unmarked, until they hit the relay. Then it would be too late. "Brynja, activate all stealth systems."

"Aye, sir. Stealth systems activated," the ensign responded. The worst of the tension had left her voice.

Just a few more minutes, and they'd be safe, from the Alliance at least. For a while.

"Hitting the relay in five... four... three..."


	6. Interlude I

Update: I failed to change one instance of the name 'Anjav' to 'Ehigha', as was intended. A few other minor corrections made as well.

Update 6.4.12: Turned the section about the Asari into actual dialogue, and expanded. Elements may not conform to Bioware's version, but I find I have multiple objections to their portrayal.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER SIX<br>Interlude I

"Hey, mom," Kara said softly. She wondered again why she had contacted her mother; they had barely talked since Elysium, and when they did they argued. Certainly now would not be an exception, and she did not need the extra stress. Still, here they were.

Hannah Shepard, her regulation-length brown hair tied back from her face, stared sternly at her daughter. Her grey-green eyes were intense, commanding. Kara had once found them intimidating, but that had passed. "Kara."

And what to say? How much did her mother know of the last week? Rumors only, she imagined, but the heavy encryption and multiple proxies she'd employed to hide her identity would only confirm them. "Mother, I-" she began.

"Tell me-" Hannah said at the same moment. They both stopped as suddenly as they began. Awkward silence fell again.

"I wanted to explain things," she tried again. "No doubt you've heard the rumors."

"I have. Orders have been sent out to all ships that you be taken into custody, along with your crew," the older Shepard said, her tone reproving. Kara grated under it.

"I answer to the Council now, not the Alliance," she stated tartly. "_They_ have authorized me to continue my mission."

Hanna's mouth twisted into a bitter smile. "You never answered to anyone."

Maybe not. She had tried to, wanting to fit in, and even succeeded for a while, but it seemed an ill fit in retrospect. She made her own decisions, and they had always worked out well.

"Ambassador Udina has formally protested, and demanded that you be recalled. The Admirals are claiming the Council has endorsed mutiny, and the politicians insist that they violated our sovereignty. They're both right."

"They're both wrong," Kara countered. "Humanity accepted certain duties when it allied with the Council, which the crew recognized. They accepted my right to their cooperation."

Hanna sighed. "You never could see anything but your own side. You're a fool, Kara Shepard. Do you even realize how much damage you've done to our relationship with the Council? Or is this all about you and your 'I'm not a hero!' obsession?"

"Don't even go there," Kara hissed. "You haven't a fucking clue what I went through. You never even tried to understand. I was supposed to be your perfect soldier-daughter, your little heroine." She drew back, surprised by her own anger. She had never done anything right, according to her conservative, career-military mother. Her atheism, her sexuality, her pursuit of other cultures, they were all foolish whims, things to grow out of, except she never did. Even joining the service was done for all the wrong reasons. She wondered if they had ever gotten along, or if her memories of a better relationship were just an illusion. "The Alliance pushed itself away from the Council. I merely provided an excuse."

Hannah sighed, rubbing her face tiredly. "Yes. That's all you did."

"Enough," Kara whispered. "I don't know why I called. It certainly wasn't to argue." Space flight always left her feeling restless; perhaps that was the problem. Too much time on her hands, and too little to do. Even so, she could find better things to do than be berated by her mother.

"I know, dear, and I'm glad you called. I am. I guess I can't stop thinking of you as a little girl in need of guidance."

Kara smiled faintly. "Was I ever a little girl?"

"Maybe not," Hannah said, the bitterness in her voice directed at a career that had kept them apart most of the time, as if her guidance could have controlled her wayward child. "Speaking of girls, are there any cute ones on that ship of yours?"

Cute _girls_? Cute women, at the least, and even then Kara had never seen the sense of pursuing a romance with someone she worked with, nor been so swept off her feet that she couldn't keep control. It was also a breach of regulations. It felt more like an excuse to look down on her than an expression of interest. "Look, I should go. I'm short on crew and time."

"Yes, of course. Stay out of trouble?"

Kara laughed. "Goodbye, mother." She closed the channel.

So that was done with. She wished for someone she could talk to, without all the needless arguments, but she had no real friends aboard the _Normandy_, and few elsewhere. She made an effort to interact with the crew, but she listened mostly, and didn't speak at all of her own thoughts and hopes. When she did talk, it was almost always of politics.

In the end, she kept her thoughts to herself, and conversed only in illusions. It seemed like that was all she had ever done.

She sighed, and brought up Doctor T'Soni's profile again. The Council had provided Kara with biographical data on the century-old Asari, and copies of her published works, alongside a much larger packet of information on her mother, Benezia, the Matriarch whose voice Tali had discovered alongside Saren's.

Doctor T'Soni's scholarly and field study of Prothean civilization and artifacts led her to the unconventional belief that they were not the first sentient species to arise in the galaxy, and that their predecessors had also vanished inexplicably. Her evidence for her conclusion was slim, but solid enough to resist dismissal.

Combined with what Kara learned from the Beacon, it made sense, but also added an ominous new element. She had assumed that the Reapers were a rogue AI constructed by the Protheans, which had disappeared after the destruction of their creators. Where they had gone, and how Saren expected to find them, she didn't know. However, if T'Soni was right, then the Reapers were older than the Protheans, and had successfully destroyed other civilizations before them. How could a disunited galaxy hope to stop them, if Saren succeeded?

As for Liara T'Soni herself, the profile outlined an introvert, driven more by her own dreams than a need for recognition. They did not normally associate with dangerous conspiracies. They were unlikely to learn anything of value about Saren or his plot from her, but her Prothean expertise could make finding her worthwhile. At the moment, they had no better leads.

Kara switched off the display. A cup of tea sounded good, and she would sit in the mess while she drank it.

* * *

><p>It was mid-afternoon by ship time, and mostly quiet on the crew deck. The few who were about talked quietly over a game of cards, as they waited for their shift to start. Playing cards were nearly standard issue aboard frigates, where recreational facilities were limited, and popular across the fleet. Kara had played a few rounds in her time, but not much more.<p>

She walked over, mug in hand. Three players were finishing up a round of Skyllian Five, a popular poker variation, with a sizable pile of chips in the pot. _Call_, she thought, studying the player across the table from her, one of the two still in the game. His face was blank, but she could see his bluff in his brown eyes. His competition was less perceptive, and nearly folded before defiantly calling.

"Hey, Captain," he said, looking up from watching the victor collect her winnings.

Kara had reluctantly accepted the title, pressed upon her by a crew reluctant to use her name. They were trained for formality, and it remained an important part of their identity, even though their CO was a rogue former-officer who dressed only in civvies.

"Ehigha. I see you're making out well, as usual."

He glanced down at his pile, smiling ruefully. It was smaller than usual, though still the largest at the table. "Yes, sir. I have to keep an eye on Sayuri, but the rest of this lot are easy marks."

The other players grumbled amiably, but Aoki Sayuri laughed. "What about you, sir, are you up for a round?" she asked. "I hear you're quite the shark."

Kara shook her head. She had served with Sayuri before, and experienced the muscular marine's sense of humor. "Sure, deal me in," she agreed.

They made room for her at the table, and set her up with a stack of chips. Her presence had interrupted their conversation, and they played the next round in relative silence. It was not her intent at all; she wanted conversation, to lessen the gap between her and the crew. She no longer had the Alliance to reinforce her authority, should their trust in her fail. Her position was fragile, and her relationship with the crew vital.

"So, Captain, what do we know about this Doctor T'Soni?" Ehigha asked, as he began to shuffle the deck. "Just that she's an archeologist specialized in the Protheans?"

"We know she's Asari. That carries two hundred thousand years of weight and meaning, all of it quite different from ours. They may look remarkably human, but their brains are quite distinct, forming much more extensive networks of associations, while allowing more extensive conscious control over long-term memory formation. There have the advantage in recall, and Asari matrons often have extensive knowledge, but it can become difficult to focus.

"As a people they resist change, taking the time to question what it will mean for them and their children, but they are quick to adapt to what they see as positive. For example, they were slow to accept the industrial revolution, but dumped fossil fuels quickly when clean alternatives became available. Thessia survived the birth of a technological civilization almost untouched, while Earth will still be recovering in ten thousand years.

"Of course, they're as culturally varied as we are. Some of their artistic themes go back to the dawn of their civilization, drawing on divers roots built on and adapted as scattered tribes became city-states, and finally a united world. Some take their origins from Salarian sources; or Turian. Some aspects of human culture have already found a place among the young, often twisting or mocking feminine themes. They have little tolerance for bigotry or discrimination, even among other species.

"A thousand years of life also gives them a deeper perspective on history. They are slow to trust authority, and their planets are cooperatively run, similar to what we call anarcho-syndicalism. Mundane or repetitive tasks are shared, allowing them to spend most of their time pursuing science or art. Their factories are more democratically run than our governments, which they consider a façade for corporate oligarchy."

"You sound like you admire them," Ehigha said, taking advantage of a pause in her rambling lecture.

Kara laughed. "Well, yes. I do. We humans are innovative, quicker to adapt, but we're quicker to follow as well, and more selfish. We're more prone to let our expectations cloud our judgement. In the end, there are things to admire about us, as well."

"Are you saying we shouldn't have followed you?" Sayuri asked, leaning back in her chair. She had no cards in front of her, Kara realized. The game had come to a halt.

"Am I? You made a decision based on experience, Sayuri. Your team trusted you. Ehigha, why are you here?"

He shrugged, rubbing his thin beard thoughtfully. "I don't know. What you said, it made sense, I guess."

"I'm saying that an Asari crew would not trust my words, but they would trust each other. Sayuri's loyalty might have won that battle for me." She smiled faintly. "Of course, a Turian crew would have thrown me out the airlock."

Kara looked around. The rest of second watch had joined them, drawn in by her unusual enthusiasm on their way to eat before their shift started. "Well, that's enough lecturing on my part," she said. They needed time to get ready, after all.

* * *

><p>Evening found her in the cramped captain's quarters, now hers, half undressed and lying comfortably on the bed. Her pad, held above her, displayed some of her favorite Asari poetry, while a fine example of their orchestral music played softly in the background. She felt more relaxed than she had in days, the mission forgotten for a while as she enjoyed the exquisite verse. If not for Saren, she might have found more time to relax, and less need of it, both prospects she found enticing. But for one rogue Spectre.<p>

Kara sighed. The moment had passed in a haze of self-reflection, not to be recaptured. Her mind had a tendency to wander when tired, back to the problems of the day. Those thoughts were well-worn, and not worth reexamining.

Her brooding was interrupted by the door chime. She rolled to her feet, grabbing her shirt from the chair and pulling it on as she crossed the room. It was unusual enough for the crew to speak with her when she made herself available.

She checked her appearance in the mirror on the back of the door. Everything was on straight, and she looked only a little less kempt than usual. Her image was so well-practiced that she hardly noticed how little it resembled _her_. Trading a uniform for civilian clothes had not changed that much.

She opened the door. "Brynja. Come in." She stepped back a pace, to let the younger woman pass.

Brynja stalked past her. The young officer's face was closed, hiding anger, or tension. Kara couldn't decide, but answers would come soon. She shut the door, and turned around.

"I wanted-_needed_ to thank you," the blond began. She whipped about, her eyes meeting Kara's. They were terrified, and leapt away almost as soon they arrived.

"You don't," Kara asserted softly.

"Before we left the Citadel, when those marines came, I almost let them in. I felt as if, as if my future had shrunk until it fit into a cell, and I had to do anything I could to escape. I didn't know what else to do. If I helped them, they'd think I always meant to betray you, and then I'd be safe."

That young people had doubts was not a revelation, but an open admission of them was rare, and shocking under the circumstances. There was little she could offer, aside from understanding. "Why didn't you?" Kara asked, taking care to make it question only, not an accusation.

"It was you. When you looked at me, it was like you knew. And it didn't matter. You trusted that I'd make the right choice." Her eyes raised, their cool blue reflecting the admiration in her voice. "I knew I couldn't disappoint you."

Kara hesitated. She didn't appreciate the taste of hero-worship that lingered behind Brynja's words, but she didn't like the idea of confronting it. That was always a losing battle, and she couldn't afford another. "For no better reason than that?" she asked, finally unwilling to let go.

"What did you expect?" the blond demanded. "A well thought-out thesis? You gave us an hour, and you shut down all outgoing communications first. You think anyone else would give you a better answer? I wouldn't believe them. We're all here because we trust you, not because we have doubts about the Alliance. If that's a poor reason, you've only yourself to blame."

Kara grinned. She _had _allowed her hopes to override her expectations. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Brynja smiled, and nodded.

"Sit," Kara offered, pulling out the desk chair. She circled around the young woman, seating herself on the edge of the bed. "Tea?" she offered, lifting the pot from its place on the desk.

Brynja nodded. In the background, the music swelled to its final climax, point and counterpoint merged at last in a single entrancing refrain. A last high note and they sprang apart, each taking their turn at dominance as they descended into silence.

"Was that Asari?" Brynja asked, before raising her mug to her lips.

"Yes. Cerith's twenty-third symphony, by our reckoning. Many Asari mark it as the single best piece of music their species has ever produced."

"And the tea?"

"Ginger," Kara said. "One of my favorites."

The young woman nodded, and sipped again. "Kara," she began, hesitating briefly. Her eyes were focused on her tea. "You weren't wrong about me. I saw what the Alliance and the corporations did to Álfheimr, my home colony. All the colonist took out loans, to hire a transport and some wretched pre-fab houses. Every credit we made went toward paying them back, but it was never enough. Sometimes we didn't have enough to eat, or to pay for clothes. I don't know why Ferrel's gang of pirates thought we had anything left worth stealing, but they raided us more than once, and the Alliance never did anything to stop them. It was his thugs that killed my parents.

"I heard that corporations sometimes contract with pirates to raid colonies that refuse to pay out, and that they split the take. I never wanted to believe it, but..." she shook her head, and let the sentence end. "Thank you, Kara, for helping me to make the right choice."

Kara leaned forward, and placed her hand on the blond's knee. "Brynja, you should never feel ashamed for having doubts. You may not believe it, but I've been fighting them for years. I just make the best choice I can, and accept the consequences."

"Thank you, sir," Brynja said.

Kara didn't know if the minor formality was accidental or a warning to back off, but she removed her hand and leaned back either way.

The younger woman concealed a yawn behind her hand. She set her mug aside and stood. "I guess I need sleep," she said, pushing her chair back under the desk. "I'll see you on the bridge?"

"Yes," Kara agreed. She stood, too, to see her guest out. "Goodnight, Brynja."

A moment later and the door had sealed between them, leaving her alone. She felt better. Other people's problems were always easier to deal with, and she a welcome distraction from her own.

She stifled a yawn. It was time she got some sleep as well.


	7. Ruins

_Some of this is a rehash of _Translations_, from Shepard's point of view, but I also felt that some changes were necessary._

_I consider my actions scenes to be a bit weak. Not having much of anything to say, I tend to rush the pacing in the hopes of getting them over with. Feel free to disagree with this opinion, preferably in writing._

_Which brings me to another point. Which is: reviews are good. I'm not going to threaten to drop this story if I don't get feedback, but some sort of response-preferable helpful-is always good. _

* * *

><p>CHAPTER ONE<p>

Ruins

"So here's the plan," Kara began, surveying the group she had assembled in the briefing room. "Kaiden, Garrus, you'll come with me. The _Normandy_ will drop us off here-" she indicated a position on the map, which she had brought up on the main display, about a kilometer from the main entrance to the ruin. "The latest maps indicate a tunnel, which should lead us to the ruins. Garrus, you're our tech expert, so you'll be scanning for anything that might lead us to Doctor T'Soni. Be prepared to access any Prothean systems that might help."

"Got it, Shepard," Garrus nodded.

"Sayuri and Wrex, you'll be standing by in the Mako. Once we find the Doctor, we'll attempt to retrace our path, and but that may not be possible. If not, I'll signal for you to deploy. Lieutenant Moreau will drop you on the main road between the old spaceport and the main entrance, as close as he can get. You'll attempt to keep any Geth forces near the entrance off-guard until we arrive, and provide cover for our escape. We'll meet up and coordinate for pickup from there."

"Just the two of us, sir?" Sayuri inquired. "Wouldn't a full squad be better?"

"Yes," Kara admitted, "but the Mako can only hold six. That's the two of you, my team, and Doctor T'Soni."

"Shepard, we don't know how many Geth are down there, or how many they can deploy from those dropships. I don't think we can hold them off."

Wrex grunted. "We're not meant to, Aoki. We keep moving, keep them off guard. Aren't you supposed to be some sort of officer?"

"What are you saying-"

"Wrex," Kara interrupted. He glowered at her, but she met his gaze flatly, and he slouched back in his seat. She switched her attention to the marine. "He's right. Don't let them pin you down. Any other questions?"

She surveyed the room. "Good. Kaiden and Garrus, I need you both suited up in half an hour. Dismissed."

She closed her eyes, and listened as they departed. Alenko's light footfalls in his officer's boots; Garrus' distinctive Turian gate; Wrex's heavy clomping. The soft vibration of the motor as the door sealed.

Sayuri's quick steps were missing, she realized, and opened her eyes. "Sergeant?"

"Sir, about Wrex. Do you trust him?" she asked, a worried expression on her round face as she took the seat nearest Kara's.

That was an awkward question, and one she would have preferred to avoid. "Yes, I do."

"I don't understand why he's here. The Turian, he wants to kick some bad guy ass, and I think the Quarian has something to prove. Is he in it for the fight?"

"That's part of it."

"Wait," Sayuri smirked. "It's you isn't it. He's seen you in action, and now he's all hot for you. Careful, sir-he's, like, a thousand years old and real smooth."

Kara rolled her eyes. "He's not my type," she said, as though the grey-eyed marine didn't know. "You're half-right, though. He is _impressed_ by me."

Sayuri actually giggled. "Kara Shepard, Mighty Warrior."

Kara glared at her. "When I get back, remind me to assign you to scrub the waste reprocessors."

"Sure thing, skipper," she grinned. "You say you trust him, but you don't really like him, do you?"

"No, and I wish I didn't need him."

"I understand, I think," the marine nodded. After a moment, she stood. "I guess I should let you get ready."

"Yes," Kara agreed.

"Hey," she added, as Sayuri started toward the door. "We both know things won't go according to plan down there, so watch yourself."

"And you," the marine nodded. Kara watched her go.

Sayuri was a skilled soldier, trained in squad tactics and assault vehicle operations. She was of solidly middle-class background, and raised on Earth, on one of the Japanese islands. Her interests were mainly mechanical or scientific, not history or philosophy. Kara didn't know why she had chosen a military career over a university education, and she had never chosen to talk about it.

There were no grievances with the Alliance, or the ruling classes in general, in her background, and she treated non-humans with cautious curiosity. If not for their prior service together, Kara knew she would have sided with the Alliance, perhaps even trying to secure the Normandy against its mutinous commander. Instead, her influence, more than Alenko's, had convinced most of the ship's marine compliment to stay.

She was an honest woman, and though friends, they weren't close. Kara had never felt comfortable enough to confide in her. That didn't seem about to change.

* * *

><p>The <em>Normandy<em>'s cargo ramp raised quickly, sealing the lower deck, before the ship itself lifted off, retreating to a more secure landing site another kilometer further from the primary Geth forces, revealing a landscape of bare stone and steaming mud-pools. Kara watched it go, before turning to her squad mates. "Garrus, you take point," she ordered.

"Got it," he acknowledged, switching on his headset.

"Captain, the survey said this planet was unstable. What do we do if the tunnel has collapsed?" Alenko asked, as they followed the Turian into the dark opening.

Kara sighed at the thought. "There were other tunnels, but we don't have time to try them all."

The hazy daylight faded quickly as they moved deeper underground. Her headset's infrared enhancement showed a rough-walled, round passage, most likely made by a mining drill. It was an escape tunnel, carved by one of the later missions to facilitate their exit, should a tectonic shift collapse the main entrance, or open the facility to a magma vein. It'd be foolish to assume that the Geth did not know about it.

"Fuck. You mean we'll have to blast our way in through the front door," Alenko muttered.

The tunnel leveled off after a descent of about two hundred meters, where it began to wind slowly. She estimated that they had walked about a kilometer and a half what Garrus motioned for them to stop. "The tunnel ends just around that corner, Shepard, about fifty meters. I can't detect any Geth, though. There's some sort of massive EM field that's jamming my scanner."

"Our Doctor?" Kaiden asked. "Activating some sort of weapon for Saren to use?"

The ruins had been picked over a dozen times or more, by every known race. She found it unlikely that any capable of producing a power signature like Garrus showed her had survived fifty thousand years of neglect, and centuries of scavenging. "Maybe. The distortion patterns suggest a mass effect field. It's a good place to start. Let's go."

Garrus took point again, carrying his rifle at the ready. The tunnel opened out into a narrow shaft, a part of the far wall a smooth, synthetic white. Metal scaffolding was bolted to the stone, and what appeared to be a lift. A single Geth was looking down, over the edge of the platform.

They paused in the shadows. Garrus aimed his weapon, and turned to await her order.

Kara hesitated, but she knew there was no other choice. She gestured for him to fire. His first burst took out its shields, the second sending it over the rail with an electronic squeal. She cringed as it hit the ground below with an echoing crash.

Of course, the Geth knew something had happened, noise or no. She had looked up the Quarian's schematics. Three hundred years had rendered them dated in many ways, but the AI platforms were still a linked intelligence, processing the sensory information of other units.

"This tunnel comes out fairly high in the ruins. I'd say we want to go down. Garrus?"

"The power source is below us," he agreed, "and the map shows an entrance to the main Prothean complex. We can use the lift."

Kaiden pressed the access control. The door grated partway open, and jammed. "Are there any stairs?"

Kara sidestepped through the door. She couldn't recall any other way. Kaiden followed her, and Garrus after him. The Turian activated the mechanism.

The mechanism rattled ominously, and they began a rough descent. Either Doctor T'Soni knew another route, or the archeologist was oblivious to her surroundings.

She closed her eyes, and attempted to generate a biotic field to reduce the mass of lift, and the stress on the mechanism. It didn't help, but distracted her enough that she didn't notice as something gave way. She shouted in shock as the lift entered free fall.

* * *

><p>Kara picked herself up with a groan.<p>

"I knew we should've taken the stairs," Kaiden muttered. Better prepared for the impact, he had managed to keep his feet. "You alright, sir?"

"Yes," Kara grated. "Let's go."

The impact of the lift had broken several support beams. Garrus crossed the platform first, struggling to maintain his balance as the metal grating shifted underneath him. Kara followed after him, Kaiden taking up the rear again. Soon they were all safely on the still-secured next level.

"Hey! Over here!" The voice was Asari, and more excited than fearful.

The level they were currently on ran up against the white Prothean structure, about six centimeters below a large gap in the wall. A shimmering barrier covered the opening, and behind it the Asari scientist hung in midair, captured by a mass effect field. It was Doctor T'Soni.

Kara approached the barrier. "My name is Kara Shepard. How can we get you out of there?"

The Asari stared at her in confusion. "I'm sorry, I cannot understand you."

"Can't understand-" Kara cut herself off. If Doctor T'Soni's translator had failed, then Garrus or Kaiden would have no better luck. She did know a little of the primary Asari language, however. Hopefully, it would allow them to communicate. "_I'm a friend_," she began. "_My name is Kara Shepard_. _I can understand you. How can we help_?"

Doctor T'Soni's expression changed to one of surprise. "Uh, my name is Liara T'Soni. I was studying these ruins when I was attacked by a Krogan warlord and these synthetics-"

"Geth," Kara added.

"Really? They haven't been seen outside the Veil in over three hundred years!"

Kara smiled at the the Asari's enthusiasm, which shined through despite her awkward position, but struggled to think of anything to say in reply. Defeated, she settled on a simple command. "_Talk_."

"Uh, right. Well, I ran in here. I knew the screen would keep them out, if I could activate it, but I pressed something I shouldn't have, and..." the archeologist's waved slightly.

"Shepard, the Geth have been here for days. I don't see how we're going to get past that screen if they couldn't," Garrus said, though he was already scanning the chamber for any possibilities.

"There isn't much they didn't try," Doctor T'Soni agreed.

So her translator was working. "She hasn't updated her translation matrix," Kara grinned. "I bet she's wonder what species I am. I like her."

Garrus paused his survey to stare at her. "You're a strange one, Shepard."

"_We'll get you out_," Kara told the Asari. She raised her hand, and pressed it into the field. She could feel not only the physical effect, as though she were trying to press her hand upward against a strong gravitational field, but also as a buzzing feedback at the back of her mind.

She struggled against it. The barrier warped slightly, but it was far too powerful for her to do anything with. She guessed that the mass effect core out of a cruiser would struggle to breach it.

"We can't get through the barrier. We'll need a way around it," Kara stated, turning to Garrus. "Any ideas?"

"Sir, I noticed a mining drill down below," Kaiden suggested. "It might cut through the walls."

"Maybe," Kara muttered. The structure's ability to withstand Therum's geological instability was part of its design, one which had succeeded for fifty thousand years. Mining drills were designed to cut through soft rock, not hardened synthetics. "No. See the scorch marks on the wall? The Geth have already tried explosives, and probably heavy cutting tools as well."

"If we can't break through the structure or the barrier, what can we do?"

Kara switched on her omnitool's holographic interface, and flipped through several maps of the area. "Here," she said. "The last Council expedition did a thorough scan of the area."

Her two companions gathered around her. "This is the Prothean structure here," she said, indicated a lighter mass, carefully rotating the model and focusing in on their position. "The gaps are openings in the outer wall. We're here; there's another entrance here, buried in the rock. Since they already had access to the complex, there was no reason to uncover it."

"There's five meters of rock covering that entrance, and maybe another barrier behind it," Kaiden pointed out.

Kara turned toward the Asari. She had closed her eyes, thinking or listening to their conversation. She looked almost relaxed, despite her predicament. How long had she been trapped.

"Half an hour, Kaiden. I don't see that we have much choice."

"Yes, sir. I'll set up the drill."

Kara let him go. "Garrus, since you're the only one who can talk to her, you'll stay here and keep Doctor T'Soni company."

"Sure, Shepard," he replied.

She left him to it, joining Kaiden on the cave floor. He had interfaced his omnitool with the drill, letting it do the work of entering his commands. He didn't have the experience with mining equipment to program it himself, but they had no need of precision. It took only a minute for him to finish. "Ready, Captain," he said, turning to her expectantly.

She nodded, and he activated the machine. It made an impressive amount of noise, as it lurched forward.

Kara sighed. _Stay here_, she signed to the marine. She could wait for it to finish just as well from the platform.

* * *

><p>Nearly half an hour passed before the drill completed its task, and shut down. Kara breathed a sigh of relief. She had spent the time anxiously awaiting a Geth horde drawn to the noise, but none had appeared.<p>

"Let's go, Garrus," she said, starting down the stairs.

"We're through, doc," she heard the Turian explain to Doctor T'Soni. "Just a moment longer."

The drill had punched a round hole in the rock beneath the platform, which ended in another white-walled Prothean corridor. No mass effect field opposed their progress, and they proceeded cautiously, though they expected no Geth. After twenty meters, they reached a circular room, from which corridors branched out in two directions. The ceiling was lost in darkness, watching the beam from her suit light disappear in clouds of dust. "This is a lift," she said, indicating a control panel near the center of the room. The panel showed a tall cylinder with lines leading off at various points, each marked in Prothean script. Near the bottom, two lead off in the same direction, which appeared to have the correct orientation. She pressed the control for the upper of the two.

The entire floor of the room began to rise, slowly, and stopped smoothly after less than thirty seconds.

It had worked. A corridor led back in the same direction they'd come from, and at the end Doctor T'Soni hung unmoving in the Prothean security field.

The Asari turned her head-the only thing she could move-as they approached. "You can shut down the fields from that panel," she said, nodding toward an isolated console, a bare meter away from her. Kara moved to examine it.

"Careful, sir. That must be the same console that trapped her," Kaiden warned her.

Kara nodded faintly, having come to the same conclusion herself. There were no other controls in the area. No convenient illustration suggested which button to press. She scanned it with her omnitool, hoping the incomplete Prothean translation matrix she'd downloaded would help.

"Sir, are you sure we can even trust her? There's something... convenient about her story," the human marine continued, putting his hand on her arm when she ignored him.

The suggestion alone annoyed her. She looked down at his hand, and then up, meeting his eyes. "What would you have me do, Alenko? Leave her here?"

He backed off, gesturing palm-outward, but wisely declined to say anything. So far, she had no reason to doubt the archeologist's story, and several reasons to believe it, not the least was the faint smell of Asari urine that lingered in the air. She snarled faintly, and turned back to her work.

The omnitool had thrown up several attempted translations on its holographic overlay. If they were correct, it had narrowed her choice down to three controls, each of which began with the matrix '(disable/turn off/terminate)'. It did not take a powerful mass effect field to crush a person, or tear them apart, which made the last suggestion troubling. One read '(wall/barrier/chains)'. It seemed like the best choice, so she pressed it.

Kara turned around just in time to catch Doctor T'Soni as her feet touched the ground, her legs buckling beneath her weight. Carefully, Kara lowered the Asari to the ground, leaning her against the console.

She pulled a high-energy ration bars, the Alliance's standard combat supplement for biotics, from her armor's leg pocket. They had the taste and texture of a silicon adhesive, and were hardly the best way to end a long fast, but they were all she had. She took out her canteen, as well, and offered both to the Asari.

Doctor T'Soni accepted both gratefully, tearing open the bar the biting into it gratefully, following it with a gulp of water. As she ate, her striking blue eyes flitted to Kara's face, and back down to her food. There was more than curiosity in them. The mysterious rescuing stranger could be an attractive figure, especially for the young and impressionable.

Kara declined to notice. It would only embarrass them both.

"I'm ready," the Doctor declared, struggling to stand. Kara offered her a hand, and she gained her feet.

She swayed, and once again Kara found the young Asari in her arms. "I'll be fine," she insisted, extracting herself quickly. "Let's go. There's a lift at the center of the complex. It should take us to the surface."

Kara nodded, and led the way. She resisted the urge to check on the doctor, hoping to downplay her concern and minimize the Asari's infatuation. She checked only to see that everyone was aboard the lift before activating it, selecting what appeared to be the topmost floor.

As it rose, she realized that she had forgotten about the Geth and their Krogan master. There was only one way out now, and the enemy knew it. She pulled out her pistol, offering it to the Asari grip first. "Garrus, tell the doctor to take cover if there's any fighting. We'll handle the Krogan."

The Turian relayed her message with less accuracy than she might have desired, implying that she would handle the Krogan alone, but at least Doctor T'Soni knew to stay out of the fight, and accepted the weapon with a nod and a muttered, "Fine."

They were close enough to see the exit now, and behind the bluish glow of another barrier the Krogan stood. She had expect an ambush up the tunnel, or even outside, but his species was not known for subtlety. She gestured to Garrus and Kaiden to spread out, while she remained near the center console.

The barrier dropped when the platform settled into position, allowing the Krogan to trudge forward, followed by six Geth. They were long odds, she thought, but she had faced worse. She watched him silently.

"So you found a way to get the Asari out of her trap, human," he said, his voice a grating rumble. "Great work. Now hand her over and I won't have to kill you."

Of course, she had no intention of giving up anyone without a fight, but it wasn't her choice. She turned to the young Asari.

Doctor T'Soni shifted uncomfortably. From her point of view, it wasn't much more than a choice between someone she didn't trust, and someone she didn't know. Kara didn't know what choice she would have made, in the Asari's place. "I'm not going anywhere with you," she declared loudly, not quite hiding her doubt.

The Krogan made a rude gesture, before raising his rifle. "Saren will settle for your corpse. Kill them all."

Kara ducked behind the console. She saw the doctor take cover behind one of the walls built on the room's radii like spokes.

She peered out from behind her cover, and focused her mind, dragging one of the Geth out from behind the doorway. She had no gun herself, but Garrus took a break from trading fire with a different synthetic soldier to take out the one she had exposed. Alenko was doing much the same, dragging his target into the open before taking a shot.

Her second attempt did not go so well, with her target bracing itself firmly out of sight until she had to give up. That was when she noticed that the Krogan had disappeared. Unless he was already dead, his body slumped somewhere out of sight, she had to assume he'd gone after Doctor T'Soni. "Anyone seen the Krogan?" She shouted. Kaiden and Garrus shouted 'no'.

One of the remaining Geth attacked Kaiden from the side. He fell back quickly, leaping over the low end of the wall. It left her with a good angle, and she dragged harshly at the Geth with a biotic field, sending it sprawling onto the very space Alenko had just vacated. He wasted no time in finishing it off.

"Kara!" Doctor T'Soni shouted from behind her; she turned to see the Krogan, the Asari sprawled at his feet, aiming his shotgun at in her direction.

She threw herself at him without thinking, knocking the weapon from his hands when she crashed into him. He roared and swung his fist at her, a slow, powerful blow which she easily dodged. She fell back into an Asari combat stance.

Kara countered with a series of swift blows, assays against his defenses. He parried them clumsily, and swung again. This time she was prepared, subtly increasing the heft of his punch even as she dodged it. He barely kept his balance, taking a biotically augmented punch to his face before he recovered.

She realized he was hardly a match for her, parrying at attempt at a quicker blow before responding with another hard punch. He roared again. They traded more blows, his never quite connecting, until she was finally able to knock him unconscious.

She turned her attention to the firefight, just in time to watch the final Geth fall to the ground.

The room shook. Therum was geologically unstable, she recalled, but couldn't it have waited until they had left? She guessed that they were five minutes away from the surface, and half an hour from pickup.

"Dammit, the whole complex is shaking," Garrus shouted.

"Into the tunnel," she shouted back, going to check on Doctor T'Soni. Kara pulled the Asari roughly to her feet.

"Normandy, this is Shepard," she yelled into her headset. "We need pickup at the main entrance. Drop the Mako."

"Acknowledge, Captain," said Keyx Demas, her new executive officer.

The Asari insisted on taking a few steps, but they were slow and unstable even with Kara's support.

With the tremors, and the prospect of more Geth ahead, Kara was not feeling very patient, so she scooped the scientist up and ran for the exit. Kaiden and Garrus took the lead, dodging debris as they raced through the tunnel. The quakes stopped, and started again after fifty meters. They could see daylight ahead.

Garrus was the first outside, but retreated quickly under a hail of fire. There were more Geth, of course.

Kara deposited Doctor T'Soni, who had passed out, as close to the entrance as she dared. "Sayuri, are you down yet?"

"Yes, sir," the marine responded. Kara could hear the Mako's engine in the background. "We're almost at the entrance. No sign of Geth."

"That's because they're all shooting at us," Kara told her. "You're going to have to pick us up. Get as close to the entrance as possible."

"Yes, sir."

Garrus and Alenko had taken up position on either side of the door. She crept closer, enough to see out in a narrow arc. Three Geth had taken cover behind a large crate. She guessed that at least five times that had taken up positions outside her line of sight.

"There's one of those Armature units out there," Garrus informed her, from across the tunnel. "It'll make short work of the Mako."

"How close," Kara asked. She leaned out as far as she dared, but it wasn't enough.

Garrus paused to aim his rifle at it. "Twenty-one meters," he declared.

Just what they needed. "Fine. Alenko, we're going to try and put a hole in that thing's shields. Garrus, you'll finish it off."

"Sir, is that really-"

"Now," Kara ordered, leading him forward. The Armature, a four-legged mobile heavy weapons platform, had commanding view of the battlefield from its position on the ridge. aimed it's main cannon straight at her.

Thankfully, Sayuri chose that moment to arrive, side-swiping the crate Kara had noticed earlier and crushing the three Geth. The Armature swung about, firing off a round that missed the Mako by half a meter.

Kara closed her mind to the distractions of the battlefield, focusing intently on the heavy platform. The easiest way to disrupt mass effect shielding was to throw a more powerful field against it. The result gap closed quickly, but a second biotic could take advantage of the disruption to create a more stable hole. The vortex she sent crashing into the Armature opened a half-meter gap.

Wrex, controlling the Mako's turret, chose that moment to fire on what was obviously a priority target. With no shielding to protect it, the metal fragment cut through its armor, and it crashed to the ground. "That went better than expected," Kaiden remarked.

By the time Kara had collected the Asari, the Mako was parked outside. Garrus and Kaiden covered her as she ran to the open hatch. Sayuri helped her get the unconscious archeologist inside while Wrex continued to operate the turret. Soon they were all strapped in, and they were off.

"Normandy, this is Aoki. We've got the captain. Find us a pickup site," Sayuri shouted into the comm.

Kara leaned back and closed her eyes. It was done.


	8. Interlude II

Another chapter of exciting conversation! Well, smoothly flowing and in-character conversation, at least. More action coming up in the next chapter. I'm pleased to say I have some upcoming scenes that should be interesting, somewhere in the next three to four chapters.

Oh, and feel free to write a review. They are always appreciated, even the critical ones.

af-zero;

I'll continue filling in the OCs whenever I can find an excuse. I'll try to proofread a little better as well. 'Tis just me on staff, though.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER EIGHT<br>Interlude II

Kara brought the unconscious Doctor T'Soni to the Normandy's sickbay as soon as they were back onboard. She sat on the next bunk while Karin gave the young Asari a checkup, watching the older woman's practiced movements.

Chakwas reported that Doctor T'Soni's condition was a result of nothing more serious than two days without food or water, and that the Asari would be fine with proper nutrition and a few hours sleep.

Kara nodded, and asked to be informed when the Asari awoke. She hadn't even paused to remove her armor, and it was getting uncomfortable.

The armory was empty when she arrived. It suited her; one could even call it deliberate. She liked her privacy, and always found the time to suit up, or shower, alone. It was not an easy thing in a barracks full of cadets, or on a cramped frigate, and she had resorted to jamming doors on occasion. It had earned her several reprimands, but they had not deterred her.

She removed the entire suit, checking each piece for damage before putting it away, then going through and checking that those pieces with power cells were properly connected and charging. The Council paid their Spectres well, but that would not get her access to advanced Alliance equipment. If necessary, she could purchase a replacement equipment from the an Asari manufacturer, but there were still five male marines onboard, for whom such a solution would not work. The lesser quality equipment sold on the open market would have to suffice; black marketeers were generally scum, and she held herself above them.

Such concerns were premature, she supposed, but it was never too early to consider them.

There was also the question of what to do next. Unless Doctor T'Soni could provide her with something, a possibility she now doubted, they had no leads. Wandering around the galaxy looking for clues was pointless at best.

She continued puzzling over the matter while she walked to the shower room on the crew deck where-after jamming the door-she washed and dressed in clean clothes. After that, she went to the bridge.

Her new executive officer was checking a list of nearby ports when she arrived. "What's our status, Keyx?"

"We've just entered FTL, ma'am, and should be clear of Knossos in two hours. There's no sign that the Geth are tracking us."

"Good," Kara said. It was a relief to hear, though he would have called her to the bridge had there been any pursuit.

"Do we have a destination, ma'am?"

"Not yet." If the crew lost faith in her ability to get the job done, she would lose the ship. Even if she didn't have a plan, she needed to maintain the appearance of one. "Doctor T'Soni should know something of use." If not, she had hopes that the Council might have discovered something new in the last ten days.

"So, were you able to contact Janine?" They were light-years off the beacon now, well outside communications range with the Council network, but they hadn't talked since they left the Relay, where he'd expressed some concern about his girlfriend.

His expression became troubled at the name. "Yes. We started arguing as soon as we finished saying hello. She doesn't understand why I didn't leave the _Normandy_ when I had the chance."

"Right now, she's under a lot of pressure to condemn you, maybe even facing harassment from her fellow colonists," Kara said. "If she doesn't get an answer from you, she's going to start believing what they tell her."

Keyx sighed. "I know, ma'am. I've seen the news vids about us, and I can't help but hope she hasn't. You're not a traitor, and neither am I."

"So why are you here?"

The older officer frowned, and fidgeted with his console. "It's complicated."

Kara smiled faintly. "The truth always is. That's why most people prefer lies."

"Well, ma'am, you know I grew up on Earth, in Athens. My family was well off, and I got a world-class education, with all the prospects my mother's connections could provide. I was young and stupid, and embarrassed by the thought of a woman setting me up with a job, so I did what most of my friends were doing and joined the military. I know you've heard the lines. 'Explore the Galaxy'; 'Maximum You'. 'Be More'. I think we all believe them, at first."

Keyx turned to look at her, as though expecting confirmation. She just shrugged, and waited for him to continue.

"I believed then, and still do, that joining the Council is the best thing for humanity," he said, frowning at her. "It'll bring more opportunities for joint projects, like the _Normandy_, for trade, and expansion. The Alliance's refusal to turn over the _Normandy_ has isolated us on more than just a political level. I assume the Council demanded that you resign your commission?"

Another pause, and again she didn't respond.

"At first, I thought that was the reason. The Alliance would see your elevation to Spectrehood as a step towards a getting a seat on the Council, and would reluctantly accept your commandeering the _Normandy_. You're the Heroine of Elysium, after all. If anyone can get us through this alive, it's you."

"So, then I started thinking about everything that's happened in the last decade. Pirates, Baatarian slavers, and now Saren, all hitting human colonies. Janine's colony is no less vulnerable than Eden Prime was. I just don't think I could walk away from a chance to protect her. It doesn't seem like much of a reason, does it?"

"What reason would you consider good?"

"Well, ma'am, Sergeant Aoki said that she trusted you to do the job, and that you'd do the right thing. She and Handel know you, and what they might expect, but I only know the legend."

Of course. She'd been plagued with hero worshipers since Elysium, so it should not have surprised her to find at least one onboard the _Normandy._ More, if they listened to Sayuri's stories. "Wanting to protect others is a better reason than chasing legends. Janine will agree, so tell her."

"Ma'am?"

"Tell her that you're fighting to protect her, and your daughter."

Keyx grinned. "Yes, ma'am!"

Apparently, even her romantic advice was infallible, though her own relationships had been brief. She had no regrets, but she was no expert.

Lacking anything further to say, she let Keyx return to his work, and Kara made her way forward, across the mostly-empty bridge. The size of her crew had forced her to make some compromises, but she had made sure that there were three officers on the bridge at all times. Moreau and Brynja held down the helm and ops positions on the first watch.

"Good work back there, Jeffrey," she told him, looking out at the distorted star field.

"Thanks, but wait until you see me run circles around a Geth armada," he joked. "That'll be something to see."

"I'll look forward to it," Kara laughed. "I think."

It'd probably come down to that at some point, though she hoped they would remain undetected. Still, she was grateful to have at least one skilled pilot onboard. "I'm glad you're here."

"So am I," the lieutenant grinned. "I'd hate to think of that marine of yours in charge of my ship."

"Sayuri? I realize flying combat shuttles isn't much like piloting a frigate, but she's the best we've got. Ajuna has even less experience."

"Which reminds me, do you think you could persuade Chakwas to give me some decent stims?"

Kara shook her head. "If that Geth armada shows up during your off hours, I'll have you take over the helm. Will that do?"

"Good enough, Cap'n," he agreed.

Her stomach growled as she turned away. It had been six hours since breakfast, unusually long for her, and she had relied heavily on her biotics.

"Kara."

She turned to smile at Brynja. "Mm?"

"I was just about to break for lunch," the young blond said. "Would you care to join me?"

It was past three, ship time, and the ensign's shift had started at eight. Kara could only assume that she'd delayed her break, in the hopes of such an opportunity.

"Yes," she decided. "I would."

* * *

><p>"My parents always said I was a sweet child," Brynja muttered around a mouthful of synthetic vegetables. "I'm afraid I remember things differently. I was always following Lúcía around, and she loved anything that got her hands dirty. She could put together an engine by the time she was twelve, and she loved field work, especially in the cold."<p>

Kara listened carefully to the young woman's reminiscing, while attending to her own meal. The quality had not improved, and she chewed each bite deliberately, glad to have something more interesting to focus on.

"As we got older, she started taunting the boys. Oh, they loved to chase her, and she'd goad them into ever more foolish displays. They were never able to impress her, though. The more outrageous their feats, the less she thought of them.

"When I was fourteen, we started sneaking out at night. We'd sit under the stars and talk. When we got tired, we curl up together against the chill, and sleep. My parents were always furious with her when she brought me home. I think they thought we were having sex." Brynja's eyes had held a hint of sorrow since she began, but it had only just reached her voice. "I loved her, but I never wanted her like that. Before you ask, we weren't one of _those_ colonies. I knew about sex, and about gays."

Ah, yes; _those_ colonies, always referred to with contempt. Some were awful, built by religious fundamentalists, fleeing the more liberal cultures of their home nation. They sought to establish nightmarish paradises on unspoilt worlds. They were primarily Christians, blaming secularization for the collapse of the West, but every other major religion had colonies of its own.

Also included in _those _colonies were the Greens. They were primarily upper middle-class emigrants, who set up low-tech 'green' colonies on out-of-the-way or resource poor worlds. They were generally an accepting crowd, though insular and somewhat snobbish. They blamed technology-rightly, in some respects-for the damaged state of Earth's biosphere, which earned them the derision of a society that continued to grown more reliant on ever more complex equipment and VIs.

Brynja presumably meant the first type.

"We started to get into more trouble, those days. She once talked me into crashing the colony's mainframe. We were without power for a week, before they could reverse the emergency lockdown on the reactor. I hadn't realize before just how much we relied on electricity. No heat, no running water. Everything had to be cooked over open fires. I loved it."

Kara raised a skeptical eyebrow. "You did? Brynja, you're a computer systems specialist."

"And if it weren't for Ferrel's bunch, I'd be up to my elbows in mud right now, and enjoying every moment of it."

Kara smiled, as she struggled to imagine the blond in such a state. The relatively sterile environment of a spaceship, particularly the cramped quarters of a frigate, tended to enforce a sort of bland neatness amongst the crew, something already encouraged by their training. "I'm having a little trouble picturing that."

"There's nothing _I_ can do about your sadly deficient imagination, sir," Brynja sniffed, looking down her nose at her companion. Her expression was mostly serious, as she met Kara's glare, but her eyes were alight.

"Discipline on this ship has gone to hell," Kara muttered.

"I'm on break. Can I continue with my story now?"

Kara graciously waved her permission.

"After they got the reactor up again, Lúcía and I started going off together. Sometimes we'd walk for weeks, all the way to the mountains and back. We'd take only a little food, and scrounge for what we could. Álfheimr had a variety of edible native plants that grew in our region. Some tubers, a few leaf vegetables, even some small nuts. I became quite the cook.

"There's something else I miss," Brynja sighed. "I haven't cooked my own food since I left home. Now I'm stuck here, eating this slop. What is this?" she inquired, staring down at her plate with fresh distaste.

"I've always thought they were some sort of plastic," Kara said, holding a segment of what appeared to be carrot up, as though studying it intently. Synthetic food, manufactured by the lowest bidders, but not reconfigured petrochemicals. At least, not so far as anyone not involved in the production line knew.

Brynja sputtered. Kara smirked, pleased by the blond's response. "Plastic?"

"I've heard that the actual composition defies analysis," she added.

"You're having me on," Brynja noted, but, behind a slight embarrassed blush, she appeared pleased. "I must be breaking through.

"Excuse me," she continued, standing, before Kara could ask what she meant. "I'm still on duty, Kara. I need to get back to my post."

Kara leaned back and watched the blond go. The young officer was clearly making an effort to be friendly, but what did she want? Certainly not romance. Friendship? Or information?

No, she decided. Such suspicions were beneath her. If Brynja wanted a friend, she would get one.

* * *

><p>Kara concentrated as her opponent attacked, blocking a series of quick punches. She could sense the faint feedback in the back of her mind, that told of shifting masses and momentums. Care was required when taking on a biotic.<p>

She stepped forward, nudging the Asari off balance with her own biotics, before throwing her first punch.

The Asari was well trained. Rather than struggling to keep her place and her balance, she let the attack carry her backwards, neatly moving her out of the way of Kara's fist, before lashing out again.

Kara felt her momentum shift. A well-executed punch became overbalanced, but she compensated, using the change to push onward; the Asari, unprepared, yelped in surprise as her arm was pulled up behind her.

"Not bad, Liara," Kara said, releasing her hold. "You're anticipating too much, though."

"The pirates I encountered all preferred to keep their distance. I have had more practice tossing people about than this kind of dance."

Kara nodded. "I take it you know how to use a sidearm, then?"

"Yes."

"The _Normandy_ has a VR firing range," Kara said, opening the cabinet on the wall near the door. Inside were four headsets with holographic displays, and a selection of standard-issue Alliance firearms, all clearly labeled with a blocky 'VR'. She retrieved a headset and pistol. "Here. Face that wall. The display will shut off if you turn away."

The headset fit poorly to Liara's head, but she managed to fit it tightly enough. There wasn't much to see from the outside, just the Asari, dressed in Kara's borrowed clothes, firing mock rounds at invisible targets. A display on the cabinet door kept track of her hit ratio; high, but not exceptional.

Kara sat down on the nearest bench. They were about thirty-six hours out of Knossos, twenty-four from the Artemis Tau Relay. She still had a report to prepare for the Council, and very little to put in it. Their sole lead had appeared genuinely ignorant of Saren's affairs.

That Liara had equally little knowledge of Matriach Benezia's affiliation with the former Spectre had sounded more suspicious. Her isolation was a partial explanation, and she described a troubled relationship with her mother.

Kara sympathized. She also found herself fighting an impression of the century-old Asari as a human of about twenty. Both were a problem when it came to objectivity, and compromised her judgement. There wasn't much she could do except to watch and wait, and hope that she wasn't wrong.

"Captain, report to the bridge." Brynja's voice said over the comm.

Liara turned, looking surprised as the display shut off. "Kara?"

"Carry on," she replied. "I'll let the marines back in; ask them if you need anything."

The doctor nodded, and turned back to the wall, readying her pistol.


	9. Diversions

My instant, one word assessment of 3: Bleh. I could go on for a while, but this isn't the proper forum.

I don't really feel like Bioware gave me much room to maneuver with Liara. On the 'one superficial characteristic' to 'human' scale, all of Mass Effect's aliens are well over on the human side; the Asari are women, and not particularly feminist ones at that. I'll do what I can, though, shouldering paid writers out of the way if necessary.

I've also unlocked anonymous reviews. Chapters Two and Eight have been updated due to new information(Chakwas' first name).

Update 27/4: Added a shockwave to the _Normandy_'s shot, a little more armor damage, and a reflection on the chilling effect of pressure loss.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER NINE<br>Diversion

Brynja was at her usual post when Kara arrived, studying her screen intently.

"Hey," Kara said, leaning over the young officer's chair.

Brynja turned and smiled up at her. "Kara. I thought you should see this."

Kara leaned in closer to the screen. It displayed a modulated signal, quite weak. "Is that-"

"An Alliance distress signal," Brynja finished. "We're six light-hours from the Sparta system. The message itself doesn't say much. 'Position attacked, assistance required.' The coordinates are for the surface of the second planet, Edolus. There's no record of an Alliance base in-system, but we do send irregular patrols through the area. It could also, um..."

_Be a trap?_ Kara thought. "Yes?"

"It could be a trap. The Alliance could've found out where we were going, and planted this signal to lead you into an ambush," Brynja said.

"You think we should ignore it?"

"No," Brynja replied. "We should respond. You wouldn't hesitate if it were anyone else, and you shouldn't now. If we go in under stealth, I should be able to detect any Alliance ships well before they can spot us."

"Good thinking," Kara agreed.

"I'll scan the site from orbit as we approach, but I might not be able to spot a trap. Be careful?"

"We will," Kara said, laying a hand on Brynja's shoulder. "Thanks for watching out for me."

Brynja smiled, and returned to her work.

"Jeffrey," Kara said, turning toward the pilot. "Change course. We're heading for second planet in the Sparta system."

"Aye, sir."

"Keyx," she continued, walking toward the back of the bridge. "We're answering an Alliance distress call. I want all stealth systems activated as soon we're in-system. And I'll need an ETA."

"Yes, ma'am," Keyx replied. "Two hours, if we want to be sure we aren't detected."

"Good," she said, giving him a nod. "Carry on."

Kara returned to the training room, on the cargo deck. Kaiden, the officer in charge of marine readiness, was sparring with Liara. From the look of it, he hadn't trained in biotic martial arts. His side of the fight looked strangely awkward, barely blocking the Asari's light blows, and nearly overextending when he tried to counterattack. Like most human biotics, the Alliance had trained him for a support role, not for the front line, focusing more on guns and heavy biotic fields.

He was hardly a match for Liara's commando training, and ended up on his back twice in as many minutes.

"Kaiden," Kara interrupted, before he could take another fall.

"Captain?" he inquired as he exited the practice ring.

"We're responding to an Alliance distress call. I'll need you, Sayuri and Ehigha suited up in two hours, and the Mako prepped."

"Sir, Alliance HQ issued standing orders for us to be brought in. Are you sure that's wise?"

No, probably not. Even if the signal were real, what were a few dead humans compared to the what Saren might accomplish? Worth risking her life for an unrelated cause? She wasn't willing to make that choice, though. Not unless she had to.

"What would you have me do?" she inquired softly, echoing the same question asked in Therum's ruins.

"Sorry, sir," Kaiden said, lowering his face. "I just don't want to end up in an Alliance cell, waiting for my court martial."

"I know," Kara said. "We'll be careful. Make sure the others are prepared for an Alliance ambush."

Kaiden nodded, "Yes, Captain." He moved off, interrupting Sayuri's use of the VR firing range on his way out of the room.

Kara turned back to observing Liara. The Asari had accepted a challenge from Private Aaron Handel, and was busily tossing him to the deck. He was an electronics specialist, and, like Kaiden, not heavily trained in melee combat, but he had some skill.

As Aaron picked himself up for a third try, Kara met Wrex's gaze across the room. He could usually be found there, observing and training with the more gifted marines. She tilted her head in Liara's direction.

He gave her a short nod. "Out of my way, human," he ordered, shoving Aaron powerfully aside. He gestured for Liara to attack him.

The Asari did not show any concern over this new challenge, meeting Wrex's gaze with determined concentration as they circled slowly. She tested his defenses casually, and ducked him retaliatory punch.

Kara had sparred with Wrex on several occasions, since their first fight on the Citadel, and beaten him each time. Like most Krogan, he relied on his strength and mass in close combat, saving his biotics for ranged strikes, though he had demonstrated some skill in their last fight.

For a smaller and more agile opponent like Liara, it was important to avoid the Krogan's powerful limbs. She succeeded at first, but was unable to bring him down. Kara could see Wrex adapt to her tactics, and land a blow to her chest that knocked her off her feet.

"Shepard?" Wrex asked, catching her eye again as the fallen Asari left the ring.

She shook her head. Liara was approaching her anyway. "Captain. Can we talk?"

She had an hour and a half before she needed to be ready. "Here?"

"I would prefer privacy."

Kara nodded. "Follow me."

* * *

><p>"This is an Asari blend," Liara said. She looked more relaxed already, sitting at Kara's desk and breathing in scented steam from a mug held under her nose.<p>

Kara nodded. "I thought you might like something familiar."

"Thank you. I wish your crew was as kind."

"You'll have to give them time," Kara sighed, sitting on the edge of her bed. "They're not sure if they can trust you, and some of them have never met an Asari before."

"What about you? You've studied with my people, haven't you?"

Kara shifted further back on the bed, until she could lean against the wall. "Yes. I skipped out on school when I was seventeen, and stowed away on a transport to the Citadel. From there, I traveled. I didn't see another human for three _ansau_." She missed those days. They were a real adventure, a chance to see the galaxy, to take her time and live. Sometimes she wished she hadn't let them end. "I spent a part of that time on Thessia."

"How old are you now?" Liara asked.

Kara smiled. She could well imagine how young that sounded to the hundred and eighteen _ansau_ old Asari. "Thirty-two."

Liara sighed. "I can hardly imagine what that would be like. I've always been more comfortable reading research papers than with people." She smiled faintly, almost sadly.

"Thessia is a beautiful world," Kara said. "We humans don't think about the future, and we almost destroyed ours. Earth is a pollution-choked waste, where ten billion people struggle to survive. Maybe that is why I waited so long to go home."

"Are you from Earth?"

Kara shook her head. "I was born and raised in space. I was more impulsive back then; I guess I picked up some Asari culture. Now I try to take a longer view."

"Sometimes, the way you move, or your expression, reminds me of a Matriarch, but then you do something completely alien, like rub your hand through those fibers on your head. It's disconcerting, to say the least."

"Hair," Kara corrected, smiling softly. She'd heard the same mistake before, and others similar; the Asari simply lacked an equivalent word, and so used whatever seemed best. Liara had chosen reasonably well.

Liara nodded. "I'd like to learn more about you. I find you... interesting."

"You could talk to Sayuri," Kara suggested. "She tends to exaggerate, but she's more reliable than the Extranet."

"I had hoped I could talk to you," Liara said, her voice taking on a softer tone.

Kara shook her head. "About anything else, yes, but not about me. Tell me more about the Protheans. I read your paper on the cycle of extinction, but you weren't very clear on what evidence you had of prior civilizations."

"Well, it's more of an impression," Liara admitted. "There are a few things, though..."

* * *

><p>"We're on final approach, Captain," Keyx informed her over her suit's internal comm system. "I've ordered Joker to drop you five kilometers from the transmitter."<p>

"Good," Kara acknowledged. "Brynja, final report."

"There's an M29 Grizzly a few meters from the transmitter. It looks as though it was cracked open by an impact. All systems are offline. There are bodies scattered about. Parts of bodies."

"You believe the signal is genuine?"

"Yes, but I don't see any survivors. No tracks, or any other sign of an attacker. It might not be an Alliance trap, but something still isn't right. Kara-"

"We'll be careful," Kara interrupted, smiling to herself despite the situation.

"Good. Ásdísdottír out."

Kara sighed, leaning back in her seat, in the Mako's rear compartment. More dead was never good news, but at least the Alliance hadn't planned a trap. Such a thing was a criminal offense, under the Council law, and would have driven the two governments further apart.

"You and Ensign Ásdísdottír seem to be getting on well, sir," Ehigha said, from his spot beside her.

"What of it?" Kara demanded, turning to face him.

"Nothing," Ehigha replied, looking amused at her response. "I just mean, you have a history of cutting yourself off from the people around you. That kind of isolation isn't good for anyone."

"That's my business," Kara said, hardly aware that her voice had dropped to a whisper.

"Yes, sir!" Ehigha declared, a bit too loudly.

Kara closed her eyes and breathed deeply. The flash of anger had already passed. The Alliance had only forced her to see one therapist after Elysium. She sat through three sessions without saying much of anything, before he pronounced her mentally fit, if only out of a desire to be done with her. "Your job is to see to the health of the crew, Lieutenant. I can take care of myself."

Thankfully, Sayuri interrupted before Ehigha could say anything more. "Thirty seconds to drop. Everyone check your straps."

Kara obeyed, checking to make sure her seat straps were securely fastened. She then secured her helmet.

As standard for a stealth drop, Jeffrey had taken the _Normandy_ on a low pass over Edolus' surface. "Now," Sayuri cried. They shot forward rapidly, then the bottom seemed to drop out beneath them. "Impact in five..."

Once in the air, Sayuri used the Mako's small mass effect core, combined with its maneuvering thrusters, to limit their impact to a small jolt. "We're down, sir," she declared, a hint of pride in her voice. She really was an excellent pilot in small vehicles, but Kara still hated combat landings.

"Use your own judgement for our speed, Sayuri, but take the last half-kilometer slow," Kara ordered.

"I hear that," Sayuri said, grinning over her shoulder.

Kara laughed softly and shook her head, but the Sergeant had already turned back to her controls. Some people were-to her mind-inexplicably fond of speed.

They rolled forward far more rapidly than she would have dared attempt, dodging boulders and outcroppings as they went. Inside, they were shaken roughly as they crossed the barren terrain, reminding Kara of just how much she preferred walking.

Thankfully, it was a journey of only a few minutes at Sayuri's speeds, and soon they rolled to a halt next to a rock outcropping. "This is it, sir," the marine declared, releasing her restraints and turning. "The site is about fifty meters ahead."

"Good," Kara replied. "Kaiden and Ehigha are with me. Sayuri, you'll stay here. Be prepared to pick us up if anything goes wrong. Helmets, everyone."

Kara slid her own helmet over her head, fixing it in place and checking the seals. The internal HUD flared to life; everything checked out. The rest of her team confirmed ready status, one by one.

That done, she pulled the latch on the side hatch, and climbed out after it lifted open. Edolus had a moderate atmosphere, but, as usual for a barren world, no appreciable oxygen content. Silicon dust swirled in the dry wind.

Kara drew her pistol, and led the way forward. Around the outcropping, she found a scene much as Brynja had described it; a broken Grizzly and scattered bodies in a large depression. The wind had scoured the sand clear of any tracks, and partially covered the bodies, but from what she could see, they were a mess. Ten or twelve hours had passed, she guessed, since they had died.

"Ehigha, see if can't find out what killed them," Kara ordered, approaching the Grizzly herself. She put her weapon away as she looked inside, and switched on her helmet light.

"Yes, sir."

She pulled herself up, and dropped in through the gap. It didn't look like damage from heavy cannon fire. The opening was too big, and the edges were shorn apart, not blasted open. It didn't match anything she'd seen before.

She settled into the driver's seat, and attempted to start the onboard systems. The control lines to the generator were cut, but the computer started on battery backup. She linked in her omnitool, and uploaded the mission logs, before playing back the last.

A man in armor, with lieutenant's stripes on his collar, appeared on the main display. The timestamp in the corner indicated that just over nine hours had passed since he recorded it. "We followed the distress beacon as ordered, but found no one," the recorded officer said. "Now half my men are dead, and the M29 disabled. Someone planted that beacon to lure us onto a Thresher Maw nest. I can only hope that if Shepard does show up, that traitor'll suffer the same fate we did."

That explained things. "Ehigha, get back to the Mako. Tell Sayuri there's a Thresher Maw."

"Sir, did you say-"

"I did. _Walk_, Lieutenant. I'd rather we didn't disturb it. Kaiden, shut down that transmitter and pack it up. We're taking it with us."

"Got it, sir."

The older Grizzly assault vehicle, unlike the Mako, required ground deployment, which meant a frigate or troop transport. They were no longer the standard ground assault vehicle issued to frigates. "_Normandy_, this is Shepard. There is an Alliance presence in system. They will shortly know we're here. Prepare for immediate pickup."

She worked quickly, setting the Grizzly to transmit a warning about the Thresher nest. Hopefully, the team sent to investigate would listen.

The ground shook, ominously. She leapt clear of the vehicle just as the giant beast burst from the ground beneath it, crushing the multi-tonne armored vehicle in its jaws. She wondered what noise had attracted it.

Kara had never seen a Thresher Maw before. Many people considered them a myth, conjured up from a sadly ubiquitous presence in old science fiction; the beast that can live in any environment, and swallow whole platoons, often a giant worm that could move through dirt and rock more easily than air. Although her wanderings amongst the older races had convinced her they existed, she could not claim they prepared her to face one. It roared, angry at their trespass, and spat a blob of acid at Ehigha. Lucky he heard the noise, and jumped out of the way.

"Sayuri, pick up Ehigha and get him on that turret."

With another roar, the Thresher downed out Sayuri's acknowledgment, and the creature sank back into the sand. The ground trembled as it moved, out of sight, but she could still feel it. It burst forth behind her, not ten meters away. She threw herself aside, out of the path of a second burst of corrosive saliva. Her right side still caught the edge, her armor smoking and bubbling where the thick, greenish liquid struck. In the current atmosphere, a suit breach wouldn't be immediately deadly.

She didn't have time to recover, before the creature struck again. As the beast's round mouth approached her, she summoned all her strength, and tried desperately to control it with a biotic field. At full strength, Kara could reliably shift about two hundred kilograms. This Thresher, and it was a big one if the stories were to be believed, had more than a hundred times that mass, and she was struggling to focus.

The beast shuddered, and reared up. A second round hit it-a blast from the Mako's turret. Roaring again, it retreated underground.

She pushed to her feet. The movement tore the weakened material of her suit, the pressure warning flashing in the corner of her eye. She could see a faint stream of condensing moisture coming from near the elbow joint, as escaping air dispersed into the cold atmosphere.

"Kaiden, grab that transmitter, and let's go," she ordered, rushing over to him. He had yet to put away his pistol, though small arms were unlikely to harm something the size of an adult Thresher Maw. "Now, Lieutenant."

Of course, it was too late. The Thresher burst out of the ground half a meter from the Mako, and only Sayuri's driving kept the vehicle from flipping over, as she swerved hard to avoid it. The heavy cannon fired repeatedly, doing only minor damage.

They didn't have time to waste, and not just because her suit was losing oxygen at an accelerated rate. "_Normandy_, this is Shepard. What's your distance?"

"We're landed five kilometers south, ma'am. Are you ready for pickup?"

The Thresher had retreated back underground, but she didn't believe it would stay gone. "I need you to finish off a Thresher Maw, first. Put Garrus on Tactical, and get over here. Hurry."

"Yes, ma'am," Keyx acknowledged.

The Mako skidded to a halt only a meter away. Kara opened the hatch, as Kaiden lifted the transmitter. He had only just climbed in with the device when the ground began to shake again. "Sayuri, go," Kara ordered.

The Mako sped off, with Kaiden barely clinging on as he struggled to close the hatch. Kara ran in the opposite direction. The Thresher Maw burst out of the ground where she had stood just a moment before, the force of its eruption throwing her three meters at least.

Thankfully, her armor absorbed most of the impact, though the chestplate had cracked where the acid had weakened it. She rolled over, only to find the Thresher Maw looming over her, preparing for a final strike.

With the roar of atmospheric thrusters, the _Normandy_ appeared overhead. The creature paused, attempting to assess the new arrival with whatever intelligence it had. Kara picked herself up and ran.

The _Normandy_'s main guns fired, the shockwave from the hyper-accelerated slug throwing her back to the ground. Kara turned to see the Thresher Maw, a part of its side missing in a haze of dark blood and ripped flesh, shudder and collapse heavily.

Kara took a deep breath, checked that she hadn't lost her sidearm, and began to limp towards the where the _Normandy_ had already started to land. Her suit was losing air fast, now, pulling heat from her body as it did.


	10. Communication

What with the changing seasons, I'll probably be switching to a biweekly update schedule from now through autumn. I've been falling behind as it is, and could use a bit more editing time.

I appreciate the continuing reviews from af-zero. It's encouraging to know someone is willing to take the time to comment, though I wish a few more of you would. I know you're out there.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER TEN<br>Communication

Kara studied the damaged pieces of her armor carefully. The flexible base material all across the right arm was ruined, tearing apart with only minimal stress. The hardened plates were not much better, pitted and brittle. The worse effected parts simply crumbled under pressure.

Overall, a third of the suit needed replacing. What spare parts they had simply couldn't cover that level of damage. She sighed; their supply problem had just become acute. She dumped the armor on the floor. "Liara, could I see you in the Armory?" she asked, activating the comm.

While she waited, Kara stripped off her armor's cloth under suit and started to dress. She had only just pulled on her trousers when the Asari arrived.

It was contradictory, she realized, for a roomful of women to make her uncomfortable about her body, when the Asari had never made her feel the same. Liara studied her bare torso with open curiosity, rather than studiously avoiding all contact or blushing furiously, as if breasts were something to be ashamed of, and perhaps that made all the difference. "Hello, Kara."

"Liara," Kara nodded, as she shrugged on and buttoned her shirt. "Haven't you gone showering with the crew yet?"

"I've been avoiding them," Liara admitted.

Kara smiled. "I do the same. If you'd like, I could arrange to clear the shower room for you. Fifteen minutes a day, during first watch."

"No," Liara replied firmly. "I'll be fine. You asked me here for something other than talk?"

Kara retrieved her battered chest piece, and held it up. "I hoped you could help me get new armor."

"I'll try," Liara said, "but many of my contacts were through my mother."

"Thank you. If you could find something for yourself, as well, I'll scape together enough credits to pay for it."

Liara nodded. "When I heard you were facing a Thresher Maw, I was very concerned," she said, focusing too-intently on Kara's damaged armor.

Kara gently shifted Liara's attention back to her, with a hand on the Asari's chin. "You don't need to convince me, Liara," she said softly. "I trust you."

"You're very-" Liara breathed; she cut herself off abruptly, her brilliant blue eyes turning downward. "I should go see about that armor," she muttered.

Kara let the Asari go, sinking back down onto the bench. They were twenty-six hours out from the relay, and still well beyond range of the comm network. No one would be shopping for anything for eighteen hours at least.

She had tried to remain professional around the Asari, but she found it difficult. She saw Liara as a young woman, uncertain and alone, and wanted, or needed, to reach out.

That wasn't all she wanted, though. Liara was brilliant, even for an Asari, confident, and kind, all traits Kara found attractive.

Kara sighed. She needed to get control of herself, not rush into another relationship. Not now.

* * *

><p>"You wanted to see me?" Kara asked, leaning against the rail between Engineering and the Mass Effect core. She had caught Tali'Zorah staring into the core as it hummed and pulsed. It could be entrancing, she supposed, all shifting lights and a faint blue aura. Close as they were, she could feel it, a constant buzz in the back of her mind. There were reasons why biotics made for poor engineers; it wouldn't take long to translate into a substantial headache.<p>

"It's been twenty days, and I still find this ship fascinating," the young Quarian said, turning her head towards Kara. "I'm still getting used to the quiet, though."

"Greg Adams tells me you've been invaluable. He claims you already know more about the _Normandy_'s systems than anyone on his staff."

"He said that? I don't know. Kara, these systems are more advanced than anything I've worked with."

Kara smiled, and turned her gaze back to the core. "Except for Greg, we lost all our senior engineers back on the Citadel. He needs someone to take over second watch. You'd do the jobs he assigned you, with Pema and Ajuna's assistance."

"Kara, are you sure about this? I haven't even completed my Pilgrimage. I haven't the slightest idea how to command-"

"I'm sure," Kara interrupted softly.

"If you need me, Kara, I'll do it," Tali said, standing straight and nodding.

Kara nodded. "You start today, sixteen hundred hours."

"Wait... what if I had said no?" Tali inquired, her bright eyes narrowing slightly.

"I knew you wouldn't," Kara smiled.

Tali sighed. "I guess you're right, as usual," she grumbled.

"I have help," Kara said, squeezing the Quarian's shoulder. She recalled feeling terrified, before her first command, and wished someone had shown her some understanding. That had given way to a sort of cold dread, after Elysium. She did not fear her mistakes; she feared success, and fresh dead added to the pile of people she had killed. "So will you. Don't be afraid to accept it."

Tali nodded. "Then I can help you to be right about this transmitter," she said, leading Kara to the workbench near the door. The distress beacon they'd recovered from Edolus lay there, partially disassembled.

"The casing is from a standard Alliance distress beacon," Tali continued, "but the electronics aren't. They're of human construction, and use some fairly advanced techniques."

"A corporation?" Kara asked. What profit was to be found in luring a squad of marines onto a Thresher Maw nest? No. Someone else had done this. An organization not concerned with making money.

Tali shrugged. "I don't know, but it was placed deliberately. There's a second device built in, which detects nearby humans and then activates a low-intensity sound pulse, a sort of Thresher Maw lure."

Kara closed her eyes. She had expected something else. Batarians, perhaps. They were being pressed on all sides, and had resorted to using terrorist tactics against the Systems Alliance, though usually on a larger scale. Defending a government was a dubious enough cause to kill for, but whoever had planted that distress beacon had done it for pay.

She didn't understand, and she never had. If not that were not bad enough, her head had begun to ache from the proximity of the core. "Anything else?"

"I don't think there's anything else to find," Tali said, her filtered voice sounding apologetic.

Kara mustered a smile, as she turned towards the young Quarian. "You did well, Tali."

* * *

><p>Kara tensed as she once again found herself standing before a holographic Council. They had contacted her almost as soon as she filed her report, less than an hour after the <em>Normandy<em> had come within range of the comm network, which made her suspect they either wanted something, or had important information.

"Councillors," she nodded.

"Shepard," Tevos said, her eyes focused intently on, presumably, the place where Kara's image stood before her. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused us?"

"Yes, but Human-Council relations are not my concern," Kara replied. "You appointed me to stop Saren, a task I cannot complete without your continuing support. Are you withdrawing that support?"

Sparatus' mandibles flared as he stared at her. "No. Your species wanted you made a Spectre; now they want you recalled. We are not here to indulge Ambassador Udina's whims, and we will not tolerate interference in your mission."

"Salarian STG teams have been deployed to the Traverse in an attempt to track Saren. They will also be watching you," Valern said. "Should your behavior be questionable, your Spectre status will be revoked, and you will be turned over to the Alliance. Is that clear?"

"One hopes that, considering Saren's betrayal, you're giving as much attention to your other agents?" Kara asked sharply. She did not resent their concern, just that they had singled her out for special treatment. They did not answer. "Have these STG teams reported any sign of Saren?"

"Not yet. You'll be notified if they discover anything you need to know," Valern replied.

"I want to see all their reports," Kara countered. "I can't do this job if you won't trust me."

"Very well," the Salarian agreed, though not without irritation.

"There is one other matter," Tevos said, regarding Kara's boldness with interest. "Doctor T'Soni. Are you certain she can be trusted?"

Kara hesitated. "I trust her," she said quietly. She doubted her judgement more than Liara's intent, and that was not the Council's business.

Tevos noticed, of course, but let it pass with a nod. "If we do learn anything, I'll make sure you're informed."

"Thank you, Councillor Tevos," Kara nodded, for her silence and her words.

The three holographs nodded, and the projector went dark.

Kara slumped into the nearest chair. No leads, no new information. She did not handle a lack of direction well. Even wandering the galaxy alone she had always found some goal, a sight to see next, something to learn or experience. It was no longer enough. She had a goal-stopping Saren-and any unnecessary delay was intolerable.

"Kara?"

"Yes?" she snapped, recognizing Liara's voice without turning. The lock on the door had shut down along with the comm channel. She regretted her tone immediately.

"I'm sorry-" they both said at once.

"I'm just feeling frustrated, Liara. I'm glad to see you," Kara finished, recovering first.

The young Asari nodded. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Bring me good news," Kara said softly.

"A friend of mine, who lectured at the University of Serrice while I was there, is on the Citadel. She works for Serrice Council," Liara said, sitting in the nearest chair and leaning forward. "They don't sell to the public, but your Spectre authority will get you access."

Kara grinned. Serrice Council's electronics division had designed her implant, a modified version of one intended to enhance the natural biotics of Asari commandos. It worked far better than the old L2 model it had replaced.

Their armory produced the finest biotic-enhanced armor in the galaxy, with integrated amplifiers and a host of other features. They did not sell pieces on the open market, but distributed them to elite commando units. Techniques they pioneered were passed on to general manufacturers in the centralized Asari economy, but Serrice Council products were always decades ahead.

"Thanks, Liara," she said, walking through the door. "Tell your friend we'll be there in a week. I'll be back."

Kara walked briskly toward the front of the bridge. "Jeffrey, take us back to the Citadel."

"Captain?" the lieutenant asked, turning his chair.

"Don't worry. We'll be discreet."

"Aye, sir," he shrugged. "I suppose I can run circles around an Alliance cruiser as easily as a Geth fleet, but it isn't as much fun."

"Noted," Kara laughed. "We'll get you that fleet soon."

"Thanks, sir. Shooting Thresher Maws is fun and all, but nothing gets the blood pumping like a hostile dreadnaught or two."

"For you, maybe. I was on foot."

"I can see how that might change your perspective," Moreau grinned.

Kara shook her head. "Brynja," she said, turning around and walking over to the young blond, "I need to talk to Admiral Kahoku. Use the Spectre priority channel-that should get his attention."

"On it," Brynja said, bringing up the comm directory.

"You changed your look," Kara said softly. The ensign had ceased wearing her uniform tunic the day after Edolus, leaving only the plain white undershirt. Keyx had brought it to her attention at the time, but she told him to ignore it. It made little sense to enforce a dress code among the crew, when she did not adhere to it herself.

"Those bastard admirals tried to use a distress call against you," Brynja scowled. "Pirates use tactics like that. Criminals. I joined to stop scum like that, not to help them. I've already written up my resignation."

"So much for Captain Ásdísdóttir," Kara smiled.

There was a hint of lost dreams in Brynja's eyes, as she sighed in response. "She was lost the first time you smiled at me."

That was on the bridge, just as they were escaping lockdown on the Citadel. "When this is over, I'll help you find something else."

"Thanks, Kara," the blond replied. "Council Spectre Kara Shepard needs to speak to Admiral Kahoku, priority one," she added, into the comm.

"I'll be in the briefing room," Kara said, waiting for Brynja's acknowledging nod before making her way back.

Admiral Kahoku's bearded face was already project on the holographic display when Kara arrived. "I'm sure she'll be here in a moment, sir," Liara was saying, having taken up Kara's former position in the center of the room.

Kara sat comfortably in the empty chair nearest the door. "Admiral."

"Shepard. What is it you want?" he asked, his voice and expression polite. He was not a man greeting an ally, she decided, but that was not a surprise.

"I want to talk about Edolus," she said, letting her own hostility show. "I recovered the logs from your marines. They were ordered to place a false distress call, to lure me in."

"That's a violation of Council law," Liara noted, now seated in the next chair. "It caries a felony charge of piracy."

"As is interfering with a Council Spectre in pursuit of her duties," Kara added. "That is, if she doesn't shoot you on the spot."

"What happened to my marines, Shepard," Kahoku demanded.

Kara sighed. She had expected the question, but it still blunted her anger. "Someone else planted a distress beacon on a Thresher Maw nest. They followed it, and were killed. It's dead, now."

Kahoku hunched slightly. "Who?"

"I don't know. Humans, with access to advanced technology."

"Cerberus?"

Kara almost bit her tongue. "Maybe." It made sense, even. They were a pro-human terrorist group, former Alliance black-ops. Her actions were enough of an affront to their ideology that the fake beacon might have been meant for her, and not the marines at all.

"If I can track down their base, would you investigate?"

"Yes," she declared. The Alliance would never grant him permission to do so, but her authority came from the Council.

"I'll..." he hesitated, sighing. "I'll convince the Defense Council to rescind the capture order on you."

"Thank you, Admiral," Kara said. "That's all I wanted."

He nodded. "You'll be the first to know when I learn something. Kahoku out."


	11. Renewal

Some unexpected changes. A bit of plot advancement. The extra week was helpful, and has resulted in an update of chapters one and six.

af-zero; The rest of the series? I don't even have a plan for finishing this one! I mean that. I'm not sure what the Battle of the Citadel will look like, or what the political situation will look like after its done.

Viedyn; Thanks for the review. It seems to me that the 'Paragon/Renegade' scale is just another renaming of 'good/evil', so Bioware's 'renegade' is just 'evil'.

It might be too soon to label this a Kara/Liara story.

As always, reviews are welcome.

Update: It seems I got the timing wrong in the last section. Keyx remains on the bridge(One would expect the XO to be on duty while preparing for departure, even though it's Garrus' duty shift), but Ehigha should've been on duty in sickbay. Galactic Standard Time, which the Citadel runs on, does not use a twenty-four hour day.

Update 2: Vikarian to Vakarian. Oops. Thanks, Viedyn. Fixed the same error in Ch.2. I'm also something of a pedant, so I know the feeling.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER ELEVEN<br>Renewal

"If the Protheans built the Citadel, and the Relays," Brynja said, as they walked the grounds of the Presidium, "they must have had astonishing technology."

"Well in advance of our own," Liara agreed, "but..."

"It's just supposition that they built the relays," Kara finished. She wasn't entirely sure how her armor-shopping venture had turned into an outing, but she didn't suppose it mattered. After all, Brynja was pleasant company. She had given the crew shore leave, while they were on the Citadel, keeping four personnel on duty. After a month in close-quarters on the frigate, she knew they needed it.

"I thought it was established fact?"

"No," Liara continued. "The assumption was that the Protheans were the first intelligent life to evolve in our galaxy. The existence of the Reapers contradicts that belief."

"Oh," Brynja said, leaning over the long, segmented pool. The placid water stretched off into the distance, until it appeared to rise into the artificial sky. The upturned horizon, as much as anything, ruined the outside feel of the Presidium. "Then the Relay, and the Citadel, were both constructed by a prior race? The same one that constructed the Reapers?"

"We don't know," Kara said, half-sitting on the rail beside the young blond. Brynja looked gorgeous, her eyes closed and face upturned as she breathed in the flower-scented breeze. "There's just not enough information."

"I miss this," Brynja sighed. "Being outside, even if it is fake. Solitude. Wind and rain. Swimming naked in cold mountain springs. Watching Lúcía as she sprawled on a rock, drying off under Freyr's warmth."

Kara's brow rose in surprise. "I thought you weren't interested in her like that."

"I guess I was," Brynja frowned. She held some regret there, deeply buried. "But we never... The Conduit, though, that is Prothean?"

"All I know about that is the name," Kara shrugged. "We'll just have to hope we can find out more."

"If we land on a garden world, can we have a picnic?"

Kara shared a confused look with Liara. "What?"

"You know; find a secluded spot and share a meal. I'm joking," she added, after a moments silence. Half-joking, Kara guessed, from the stories she had told, and the distant look in her eyes.

"Serrice Council's offices are this way," Liara said, walking further across the bridge.

Kara followed, the young blond falling in beside her. "Why did you ever choose a posting in space?" Kara asked.

"It seemed more proactive," Brynja shrugged, "and maybe a little romantic. Besides, they offered me an Ops posting on a classified prototype. How could an ambitious young woman resist?"

"Not easily. Where's Lúcía now?" she asked carefully. It wasn't difficult to guess, given the fate of the blond's parents.

Brynja sighed. "Dead. She was looking for me when they found her, I think. They violated her, before they killed her. She'd been so fearless..."

Kara took the younger woman's hand firmly, and they walked in silence. Ahead, Liara turned off into one of the many complexes that lined the lower Presidium.

"-to see you again, Ilya," Liara was saying, as they followed her in. She had her arms wrapped around an Asari with darker blue skin and grey eyes.

Kara's breath caught in surprise. "Doctor Tanral."

"Kara," Ilya said, releasing Liara. Kara took her offered arm. "Imagine my surprise, when I saw your face attached to the measurements Liara sent. New name?"

"The old. I didn't want to be found. What are you doing on the Citadel?" she asked, hoping the Asari neurologist would take the hint and move on.

"The Citadel Institute for Science invited me to give a talk on comparative neurology. I've studied Turian and Volus neuroscience since we last met. The ways in which evolution has reached similar ends through disparate paths is fascinating."

Kara nodded. She knew little about how even her own brain functioned, but she did understand diversity and convergence from a sociological perspective. "It sounds as if you've found a new passion for your work, Ilya."

Ilya nodded, smiling proudly. "I even assisted in developing the new suit VIs. We were able to increase the efficiency of their processing matrix by five percent, which means a faster vector tracking time, with improved accuracy." Normal improvements were of about two percent per generation of VI. A faster tracking time meant more projectiles deflected per second before hitting the 'panic threshold'-the point at which the suit VI became overwhelmed by incoming fire, and switched from targeted to enveloping shields to protect the wearer-which significantly decreased the drain on the suit's power cells in moderate intensity situations.

"I'm impressed," Kara said. "Is that what you have for us?"

"Yes. The finest personal armor in the galaxy," Ilya replied. "Let me check you in, and then we can take a look."

* * *

><p>Kara rolled her shoulders, testing the joints of her new armor. They had excellent flexibility, and the overall weight of the suit was less than the Alliance-commissioned N7 model it replaced, both of which increased battlefield mobility. Considering her training and abilities, it was a more important factor than total stopping power.<p>

"How does it feel?" asked Elessa, the purple-skinned Asari who had assisted her in assembling the armor.

"Comfortable. Flexible. I could almost forget I'm wearing armor."

The Asari nodded. "This _is_ the commando line. A distributed shield array for a tighter envelopment radius, resulting in lower power consumption. A one hundred and forty-eight millisecond vector analysis time. Built-in biotic amplification, and top of the line omnitool integration. Pressure seals rated for level two hazard environments. The armor plates are a composite-reinforced ceramic designed to absorb multiple impacts without fracturing, though they should be replaced after taking a direct hit."

"Thank you, Elessa," Kara smiled. "I appreciate the help."

Their eyes met in the mirror-Elessa's were pale grey, flecked with green. "It's a pleasure, Kara," she whispered, her narrow lips curving into a thin smile as her gaze turned downward. Standing behind Kara as she was, it seemed a flirtatious, even intimate gesture. The purple Asari was still a maiden, near the end of her second century, at a guess. Certainly young enough to pursue sex with a human she found attractive, with or without an extensive relationship.

And Kara? Until she found some lead, there was little else for her to do, and Elessa was not under her command. There was no danger of compromised judgement, and minimal questions of authority. The Alliance had quietly rescinded all orders concerning her and her crew. She could relax and enjoy herself, if only for a little while, and she intended to.

"There is something else," she said, turning her face toward the Asari, "if you have the time."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I have some work I simply must finish today," Elessa replied. Kara wondered if she'd misjudge the Asari's intentions. "If you're free tonight, though, I'm sure I could find time to help. I'm living in suite eight-twelve, section six. Meet me there at twenty-hundred GST?"

"I will," Kara smiled. She'd been right. "I'm going to check on Liara. If you need to get back to work, I can pack things up on my own."

"I'll take you to her," Elessa said, approaching the door and pressing the control. Kara followed her through it, and the walked down the hall, in the same direction as the entrance. They paused, only one door down. "In here."

The purple Asari continue down the hall, stopping after several paces. "Oh, Kara?" she said, smiling over her shoulder at Kara. "Don't be late."

There was little chance of that, Kara thought, as she watched Elessa leave.

After the Asari had disappeared into the front office, Kara smiled to herself, and pressed the door control. She found Liara inside, standing with a nervous expression on her soft face as Brynja circled her slowly. She looked good, her new armor light grey and accented with a blue that complemented her skin tone, but otherwise the same as Kara's.

"I don't know, Doc," Brynja said, moving from a view to Liara's back to her side. Neither had noticed Kara's entrance. "I'm sure it's fine armor, and all, but it just seems to be missing something important."

"Oh? What?"

"Breasts," the blond grinned, rapping Liara's chestplate as she paused her circuit in front of the Asari.

Kara knew precisely what Brynja meant. Humanity's corporate manufacturers created armor to a variety of specifications, but their female varieties were all quite shapely, and well-endowed. She had required significant padding to fit her modest breasts comfortably in her N7 armor. It functioned well enough, but it looked ridiculous, to her at least, like someone high up on the design committee worried about what might happen if women weren't easily identifiable on the battlefield. Chaos, perhaps, with men being uncertain what enemies they should hesitate to shoot, and what allies to gallantly throw themselves in front of, the nightmare vision of misogynistic boardroom patriarchs.

Her new armor still had some padding, but the exterior design, while aesthetically pleasing, was primarily functional, the curve smooth rather than explicit. Feminist, rather than feminine, though the Asari had no need for either concept. It would still be difficult for anyone to mistake her for a man.

"... humans," Liara muttered, smiling faintly. "Brynja, I will not be looking for a mate on a battlefield."

"Come on. Don't tell me there aren't any Asari vids of sexy commando heroines in revealing armor?"

"Well, no," Liara said, her voice uncertain, matching the confused line of her brow. "What would be the point of that?"

Kara laughed. Liara turned at the sound, her smile returning. An excellent question, with an unfortunate answer; to draw in male viewers, and perpetuate the sexually subservient role of women in human society.

"See," Brynja grinned, now behind Liara again, "don't you think she'd look a lot sexier if you could see more skin?"

"I'd rather know Kara is safe than see her breasts," Liara stated, her eyes fixed firmly on Kara's face. "Wouldn't you?"

"Yes," Kara said, favoring Liara with a nod. "She wins this round, Brynja."

Liara turned her head, but Brynja had already turned away, and whatever comment the Asari intended faltered on her deep blue lips. Instead, she closed the gap between herself and Kara. "Ilya has gone to finalize the transfer," she said. "She'll arrange to transport the crates to the _Normandy_."

"You're satisfied, then?" Kara asked, more out of politeness than necessity. She could see the answer in Liara's comfortable posture, though the Asari confirmed it with a nod and a firm 'yes'. "Good. Let's get things packed up, and then I'll take you both to lunch."

* * *

><p>Warm, rough fingers were gently stroking her spine. If it were possible, Kara would have rewarded the responsible party with a purr, but she could only manage a low moan. Her warm pillow rose slowly beneath her, a low heartbeat thumping in her ear-too slow, and the rhythm subtly off, for a human. "<em>'Morning<em>," she whispered softly, in Asari.

"_'Morning_," Elessa responded. The caress stopped, her hand lightly tracing the contours of Kara's face. "_You're amazing_."

Kara yawned and stretched, careful to rub against as much purple skin as she could. "_So are you_," she asserted, shifting herself more fully on top on the Elessa's strong body. She tested a soft kiss, which she deepened after an inviting response. The Asari's arms wrapped around her body, holding her close.

She moaned happily, content in their small activity for a few minutes at least. It had been too long since she'd woken up in the arms of a lover, with no urgent business to pull them apart, and no agenda other than to enjoy the time they had. Her stomach was rumbling softly, but she ignored it. When her omnitool started beeping, she ignored that too.

Elessa, unfortunately, was not as determined. "_You're not going to answer that?_"

"_No_," she declared firmly, busying herself in a slow exploration of the Asari's neck, now that their kiss was broken. The beeping stopped. "_Nothing important. See?_"

"_So that's why they made you a Spectre. Your strong sense of duty_," Elessa murmured, laughing softly. Ironic. Impertinent. Kara nipped her gently in approving protest. "_And so very focused_."

"_I'm making a priority of the beautiful, naked Asari whose bed I'm sharing_," Kara insisted, working her way along Elessa's purple collar. The beeping started again; either it was more insistent, or her resolve had weakened. She rolled off the Asari.

The beeping continued as she collected her shirt and omnitool from the pile of discarded clothes. She pulled on the shirt, and set the omnitool on the bedside table, switching it to translate to Asari, for the benefit of her companion. "_Yes_?" she demanded, as she opened the channel.

Brynja's face resolved into focus on the holographic display. "_Kara_," the blond sighed, obviously relieved. "_I almost called CSec. Why didn't you answer?_"

"_I was busy_," Kara said softly.

"_Well, Councillor Valern sent a message. You're wanted in the Council Chambers._"

Kara sighed. She could almost feel Elessa's warm body slipping from her grasp, even as the Asari's arms wrapped around her waist, her narrow chin settling on Kara's shoulder. "_I guess you'd better go_."

Kara closed her eyes, and leaned back against the Asari. "_Yeah_," she whispered. After a moment she straightened, focusing on Brynja's projected image. "_Tell the Council, I'll be there in fifteen minutes, GST. Have Keyx recall the _Normandy _crew, as well. I want the ship ready to depart in one hour._"

"_Yes, sir_," Brynja said, closing the channel quickly.

That was wrong. Something had upset the young blond, something more than one incident of Kara ignoring her omnitool. It had to be Elessa, but Brynja had never shown any signs of anti-alien sentiment before. In fact, she had developed friendships with Tali and Garrus, as well as Liara.

Kara sighed, and gently removed Elessa's encircling arms from her waist. She had more important things to worry about at present. She sorted out the rest of her clothes. "_Elessa,_" she said, smiling over her shoulder as she continued to dress. "_Thanks for inviting me. I needed that_."

"_Yes. You need to relax more, Kara,_" the Asari replied, laughing, as she rolled onto her back. Her expression quickly became more serious. "_You should find someone on that ship of yours, who you can be yourself with, or I don't think you're going to make it._"

"_I'll be fine_," Kara snapped, as she strapped on her omnitool.

Elessa sat up, putting her arm around Kara's waist again. "_Last night was great, Kara_," she said, "_but you wouldn't be here if that were true_."

"_Even if you're right, Elessa, I can't. They're under my command. It'd be a breach of trust._"

"_So choose someone you trust to say no, if you go too far,_" Elessa said.

Kara shook her head. "_I'll think about it._" Good relationship advice from someone she'd only met the day before? It seemed unlikely, but the memory of their intimacy was still too close for it to anger her. She turned, rubbing her hand against Elessa's firm breast as they shared a final kiss.

Reluctantly, Kara pulled away.

* * *

><p>Kara arrived at the Council Chambers at the top of the Presidium tower to find Councillor Tevos waiting, not on the high balcony overlooking the petitioners' bridge, but right at the top of the stairs.<p>

As before, she found the atmosphere to be intensely peaceful, quiet and dimly lit, lined with short, red-leaved Thessian trees. The air was still and lightly scented, carrying the sound of falling water up from the fountains on the lower tiers. Even the gravity was low, half Earth-normal, just enough to make walking feel natural.

"Kara, hello," the tall Asari said, adding a respectful nod to her greeting.

"Councillor-"

"Adar."

"Adar," Kara nodded. "I thought Councillor Valern wanted to speak with me?"

"Yes," Adar said. "However, the matter is delicate, and we felt it best to speak to you in private." She gestured off to the side of the wide hall.

Kara nodded, and started walking. "I'm surprised you came to meet me in person."

"Curiosity. I've learned that you purchased a new set of armor. What do you think?"

"I'm impressed, but I haven't had a chance to truly test it," she replied. She assumed that Valern was about to provide her an opportunity, though.

Adar smiled at her. "Your record doesn't mention that you visited Thessia."

No, it didn't. Dekuuna, Palaven, and some Asari colonies, visited while on leave from her military duties, but not Thessia. "I was young, and needed help," Kara shrugged. "The Alliance's experiments with biotics are still primitive."

"They're learning quickly."

"Oh, yes," Kara laughed. She had a feeling that Adar already knew about her implant, and maybe the rest as well. "In ten thousand years, perhaps we'll have caught up with you."

She stopped, falling silent. If the extinction of the Protheans was about to be repeated, they wouldn't have the time. Humanity, for all its many flaws, did not deserve destruction.

"What is it?" Adar asked, turning to face her.

Kara shook her head. "A theory, only. That the Reapers are coming to destroy us all."

"Saren's Reapers?"

Kara nodded. "Liara believes the Protheans were not the first species to mysteriously vanish. A cycle of extinction, every fifty-thousand years, going back..."

"That is a disturbing thought," Adar agreed. "Come, listen to what Tellin has to say. Perhaps in stopping Saren, you will stop these Reapers."

It sounded good, but Kara could only wonder if the Asari matriarch would truly accept the existence of the Reapers, if some positive proof were found. Would the Asari in general accept the word of a human? And what would they be willing to do if they did?

If any race had the potential to save the galaxy, it was them. The Turians were too traditional, while the Salarians waged their wars from the shadows. No one trusted brash and arrogant humanity. The Asari were widely respected and technologically advanced. They were the driving force behind the creation of the Council, which had kept the peace between a half-dozen different species over the last thousand years.

The Asari matriarch took Kara by the arm, leading her into a small conference chamber just off the main hall. A rectangular table, with just room for three people to a side, filled the space. Valern and Sparatus were already seated, awaiting her arrival.

"Captain Shepard," Valern said, shifting impatiently. "At last."

"The delay is my fault, Tellin," Adar said, seating herself next to Kara, across the table from the other delegates. "I apologize."

"Very well. Captain," the Salarian continued, his dark eyes fixed on her. Like most of his species, his expression reflected an impatient edge to his personality. They were observant and quick witted, intense, and did not like delays. "We recently received a transmission from an STG team in the Sentry Omega sector. They were following up on reports of suspicious activity in the Hoc system."

"I saw them," Kara nodded. "A smuggler claimed to have seen a Geth ship there. Captain Kirrahe checked, and found some odd communications activity on the third planet. The last report came in three days ago."

"Impressive. Yes." He pressed a control on a datapad, and slid it across the table.

The pad showed a spectrographic analysis of a badly garbled transmission as it played. A text translation was included, thankfully, as her grasp of Salarian languages was poor, and her translator didn't have enough to work with. _Saren... secret... breeding... need assistance._ "There's no other information?"

"No," Valern said. "That is why we're sending you to resolve the situation. That datapad contains orders for Captain Kirrahe to place himself under your command for the duration."

"How many soldiers does he command?" Kara asked.

"Forty. They're STG, not infantry. Infiltrators, scouts. They will need heavy support."

"I've got seven marines on the _Normandy_, plus Wrex and Garrus. I'd like to double that," Kara said, fixing Councillor Sparatus with a calm gaze. "Is there any way you can help?"

Sparatus nodded in approval. "I thought you'd ask that, Shepard. We don't have time to bring in a team from Palaven, but I spoke with Executor Palin. There's an elite fire team assigned to CSec. Their leader, Lieutenants Septalus, used to lead action against Eclipse mercenaries in the Terminus systems. It's only six officers, but they're better trained than your marines. They'll be at the _Normandy_'s loading dock, with equipment, in less than an hour."

Kara leaned back in her chair. The Turian councillor had been the one most opposed to her promotion to Spectre, and she found his easy cooperation to be a surprise, even though it had come with a snide remark. Adar, as well, seemed unusually friendly. "Something has changed, hasn't it? Adar, you nearly accused me of destroying Human-Council relations when we last spoke, and Sparatus, I didn't think you trusted me."

"Whether you know it or not, Kara, you have the favor of a Matriarch," Adar smiled. "'The human has the spirit of a Justicar.'"

Kara recognized the line, and the tone in which it was delivered. "Oh."

"Councillor Tevos reminded us that if we were not willing to trust you, we should never have made you a Spectre," Sparatus said. "You'll have my support, Shepard, but we're still watching you."

That was a reasonable argument, but she wondered why he needed reminding of it. His obvious distrust of humans, mixed with the still-recent revelation of Saren's betrayal? Both good reasons, as well. "Thank you, Councillor. If there's nothing else, I should see to my ship. I'd like to leave as soon as possible."

* * *

><p>"Commander. Commander Shepard!"<p>

Kara's jaw tightened in annoyance. She had only just stepped out of the elevator from the Presidium Tower, and had no where to run. "Yes?" she inquired, turning to face the dark-complexioned woman with a calm expression.

"Khalisah Bint Sinan al-Jilani, Westerlund News. It seems there are rumors about you everywhere, these days, and my viewers want answers!" The anchor was wearing a tight dress, which accentuated her ample cleavage, while her camera drone hovered over her shoulder. Its lens seemed to shine with a malevolent light.

Kara shrugged. "Your viewers should try a different news service."

Khalisah laughed. "Oh, Commander, that's quite a sense of humor. Is it true that you killed a Thresher Maw, on foot, with nothing but biotics?"

"If you want to continue this interview, Khalisah, you'll call me Kara. And no. It would take an Asari commando team, with their biotics linked, to do any damage to an adult Thresher. We used the _Normandy_'s axial gun."

"By 'we' you mean the crew of aliens you hired to help you steal the _Normandy_?"

"I'd need a week to straighten out all the lies in that statement," Kara smiled. "The crew is still human, and I commandeered the _Normandy_ under Council authority."

Khalisah looked skeptical. "If that's true, then why has the Alliance ordered your arrest?"

"If I'm to be taken into custody, where are they?" Kara asked. "I've clearly made no secret of my presence."

"Perhaps they're waiting for you to close your secret deal with the Batarians?"

Batarians, right. The very people she had, according to the tales, killed in great numbers while defending Elysium. "Khalisah, I'm very busy. I don't have time to waste answering your accusations. Excuse me."

She walked off calmly, ignoring Khalisah's repeated attempts to regain her attention. For such a simple act, it felt surprisingly good.

* * *

><p>"Has everyone reported in, Keyx?" Kara asked, joining her executive officer by the <em>Normandy<em>'s tactical display. He was sorting through status reports, it appeared, work she was always happy to delegate. She did not recall her own tenure as XO with much fondness.

"Yes, ma'am. What did the Council have to say?"

"A Salarian STG team reported reported sighting Saren in the Sentry Omega sector. There aren't many details, so we'll figure things out as we go."

Keyx shook his head. "You seem to like it that way," he grinned.

"Maybe. We're taking on a CSec team to supplement our marine complement. Have Garrus meet me the in the cargo bay."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, hesitating slightly. "There's one other thing."

Kara smiled encouragingly. "A supply problem?"

"A... guest. She's in the mess. Miss Ásdísdóttir let her in."

"Right," Kara sighed. She couldn't imagine why he seemed so uncomfortable, or who Brynja would have trust enough to let on board. "Tell the crew, we leave as soon as the CSec team is on board."

He nodded again. "Yes, ma'am."

Kara made her way down to the crew deck. She spotted their guest as soon as stepped on the stairs, sitting at table with her head down. Long black hair concealed her face, and her clothes were civvies, of modest european style and cheap synthetic cloth. "Hello?"

The woman didn't answer. At first, Kara assumed she had fallen asleep, but the smell of alcohol soon provided a better explanation. She had passed out.

Kara sighed. What exactly was she expected to do with a drunk civilian? They were almost ready to leave. She brushed dark hair aside. "Ashley," she sighed again.

She rapped lightly on the sickbay window, and motioned for Ehigha to join her.

"What do you need, Captain?" he asked, as he turned into the mess.

"Do you know why she's here?" Kara asked, nodding towards Ashley.

"No, sir. She was here when I came on duty, but I though you let her on board."

"No." Kara sighed, and looked around. Aside from Ehigha and Ashley, the room was empty, not unusual for the time of day. She should have called Brynja first thing, and dumped Williams on the blond, but the choice would come back to her in the end. Leave the unconscious marine behind, or take her along. Ashley's presence on the _Normandy_ was evidence of her own choice, one Kara preferred to respect. "I'll move her to one of your beds. Keep an eye on her."

"Sir."

Kara lifted Ashley with a biotic field, and carefully maneuvered her into sickbay. Ehigha helped lay her out on the nearest bed.

Something must have happened since the _Normandy_ left for Therum, when Ashley had stayed behind. Whatever it was had changed her mind.

She sighed again. Ashley's condition reminded her too much of herself, trying to forget the horrors of Elysium. They were difficult times, marked by sporadic attempts to drown her nightmares in alcohol, all while enduring the Alliance's harsh Interplanetary Combat training program.

She left the marine in Ehigha's care, and took the lift down to the cargo deck.

Exiting the lift, the training room was on the right, extending back past the lift, with engineering access and the armory on the left. A corridor down the center ended halfway to the front of the deck, at the bulkhead separating the aft sections from the cargo bay. The hatchway was currently open.

The cargo bay was mostly empty, aside from the Mako. Opening the external door in a hostile environment exposed the entire cargo bay, which meant that everything needed to be strapped down and sealed against both vacuum and high pressure.

"Vakarian," she smiled, leaning over his shoulder. Food, she guessed, noting the individually wrapped containers marked with blocky Turian letters.

"Shepard," he said, resealing the crate and standing. "I got my talons on a couple more crates of rations for Tali and I. Top quality this time. You should try some-probably taste better than your Alliance crap."

"I'm not leaving the ship to you when I die, Garrus," Kara said. The Turians and Quarians shared a dextro-based protein structure that tended to trigger violent allergic reactions in other species, which could end in death. If Garrus had ever tried the Alliance rations he freely disparaged, he would have suffered the same fate.

"In that case, forget it," Garrus grinned. "So what's up?"

"I got us some support," Kara replied, walking over to the cargo bay door. She hit the control to open the hatch. "Lieutenant Septalus, from CSec."

"Septalus? Orlanis Septalus? Shepard, are you planning a suicide mission you didn't tell me about?" the Turian asked, shouting to be heard over the sound of the motors as the bay door lowered outward.

"You know the Lieutenant?"

"Mostly by reputation. We've talked, but never fought together. The stories they tell about her are almost as wild as the ones about you."

The ramp hit the loading bay floor with a loud clang. "Speaking of stories, I hope you're not the one spreading rumors about me and that Thresher."

"Hell no, Shepard," the Turian grinned, following her into the loading bay. "I'm not giving you credit for my heroics. I've been telling everyone how I saved your ass by sniping it from orbit."

Kara suspected he was telling the truth, which left Sayuri as a prime suspect.

They were met by an angry Turian, who came in through the main door to the Citadel just as they arrived. "Are you in command here?" she growled, looming at least ten centimeters over Kara. Her voice had a more resonant quality to it than Garrus', though it was no less deep.

Kara kept her gaze level, just about at the level of the Turian female's collar. "Yes. I'm Kara Shepard."

"A Spectre, and a pushy human at that. I bet Executor Pallin was fuming when he passed those orders on," Garrus grinned.

She turned to face him. "He said I'd find you here, Vakarian. You trust this?" she demanded, jerking a long finger in Kara's direction.

"Kara might not care much about that book the Executor likes so much, but there's no one I'd rather have at my back," Garrus declared. His expression had tightened, his mandible flaring defiantly. It was the first time he'd called her anything but 'Shepard', Kara realized. "Shepard, this is Orlanis Septalus. I'm not sure she's ever killed a Thresher, but she gets the job done."

Orlanis nodded. "I'll follow my orders, Shepard."

"Then welcome to the _Normandy_, Orlanis," Kara smiled. Another six aliens on her ship would give the Alliance something new to complain about, but she just hoped they would get along with the rest of the crew.


	12. Conflict

Kara's service record is posted over on 'Silhouettes'. (My other 'story'. Ch.6, 'Records'.)

Another chapter of primarily dialogue. The visit to the Citadel is already having consequences. Kara reveals another side of herself.

The bit with Wrex... I had not intended to do any of the companion quests. Particularly with the time factor, I couldn't justify having the _Normandy_ flying all over the Galaxy. Still, the new additions to the crew provided me with an opportunity which, while continuing my divergence from cannon, should make things easier.

Who wants to write cannon anyway? We all know how that went. And how it ended.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER TWELVE<br>Conflict

Orlanis' team consisted of three Turians, one of them female, and two Asari. Sparatus had not exaggerated their skills, either. Lixandris Tacallus and Auran Actus were proficient snipers, and Auran a rare Turian biotic, though not as powerful as her Asari teammates. Valaris Marasus and Yana Rasal provided the team's front-line power, with Kaliran Sallar as biotic support. They had a reputation for efficiently clearing out entrenched gangs, some of which had equipment and leadership support from mercenary groups. They were not, however, universally pleased at their new assignment.

Kara did not consider it a surprise, or out of line. She had almost two weeks to win them over, however, starting with the their commander. She set down the datapad as the door chime sounded. She had left the team in the cargo bay, sorting out their gear as the _Normandy_ departed. They were cruising through the first relay-link now, at speeds of over four hundred light-years per hour. It was a staggering thing to consider. They could cross most of the galaxy in ten days, ten thousand light-years at a jump. Without the relays, there would be no galactic civilization, and that raised questions.

Not to be answered now, though. She opened the door, smiling at her Turian guest. "Come in, Orlanis. Sit."

Orlanis accepted the chair, while Kara returned to her seat on the bed. Another meter of space along the port hull, she thought, and the room would have fit another chair, for a slightly less informal conversation. Considering it was one of the few places she could consistently find privacy, it would've been nice. "Are you going to explain what this is about, Shepard? I hate working in the dark."

"We're providing aid to an STG team on a remote garden world. I expect our opposition to be mainly Geth, with some mercenary support. We'll sort out any further objectives when we arrive."

"That's not much to go on," Orlanis snorted.

Kara shrugged. "No, but that's the life of Spectre. You go in hot, and work things out on the ground. The STG should be able to provide us with more information when we arrive."

"Geth. I assume this has something to do with the attack on Eden Prime, and with Garrus here, it must involve Saren, as well," the Turian said. Her eyes had a deep golden color, fixed steadily on Kara's. "Am I right?"

"Yes. We may not catch Saren himself, but I'm hoping for information on something called the Conduit, possibly a Prothean artifact, and the Reapers."

"Now tell me why I should trust you to lead us," Orlanis demanded.

Kara sighed. She had rarely heard a more impossible request, but perhaps that was an Asari attitude. Humans trusted words, often too easily; and Turians trusted the chain of command. Certainly she had no other answer to give. "What kind of answer would you accept?"

Orlanis stared at her, clearly not impressed.

"Because you were ordered to?" she tried.

"_That_ is a Turian answer; you are not," came Orlanis' dismissive reply. She was not entirely correct. Orders had justified their share of crimes on Earth, just as they had on Palaven.

"Because I told you to?"

Orlanis' expression darkened. "Do you take me for a fool?"

"I think you take me for one," Kara said quietly. "We both know that nothing I say here will make you trust me."

"I need to know you won't sacrifice my team to save your worthless marines, like that sorry excuse for an officer Harken tried to do. Pallin would have had him spaced, if not for that odious ambassador of yours whining to the Council about how important he was."

"Ah," Kara muttered. A run-in with humanity's corrupt CSec officer, and Udina's embarrassing defense of him, would damage anyone opinion of her species. He had represented her species to the Citadel's residents for a score of years, and though he was gone now, it was far too late. "I met him."

"I heard," Orlanis responded, her tone approving for once.

Kara wondered how far news of that incident had gotten. If Harken's reputation was as widespread as rumor made it, half the station had probably heard by now. "My service record is in the _Normandy_'s computer," she said, linking to and sending the file from her omnitool. "It might answer some of your doubts."

"I'll look through it," the Turian agreed, accepting the transfer, and browsing through it on her own device's holographic display.

Kara leaned forward, recapturing Orlanis' attention. "I'd rather have your cooperation than your obedience, Orlanis. When we get to Virmire, you'll be fully included in all tactical decisions. Until then, I'd like you to take over as marine commander from Lieutenant Alenko."

Orlanis nodded, her short crests catching the overhead light. She knew her team better than anyone else, and it only made sense for her to direct their use. "I'll make sure we're ready for anything, Captain," she said, standing and opening the door.

The Turians were a beautiful species, tall and swift, bright-eyed, their hard crests like crowns; but not attractive to Kara's human sensibilities. Their militaristic culture had many similarities to the worst periods of Earth history, but they lacked the tolerance for torture and war profiteering that had characterized every human empire. However, they had even less concern for civilian casualties.

"Call me Kara, Orlanis."

* * *

><p>Silence. Kara breathed it in with the air, her thoughts empty as her mind and body worked, as a unified whole through the <em>vanan ithal<em>, the founding stone; the basic forms through which young Asari learned to control their bodies and their biotics, and which formed the basis for their martial arts. She found them relaxing, a diversion, always necessary on a crowded ship. They were also good exercise.

The _Normandy_ was six hours out from the Citadel, putting ship time at around twenty-two hundred. Those crew who weren't currently on duty or asleep were relaxing in whatever way they could, as they awaiting their turn in the sleeper pods that took the place of bunks. The training room was empty, except for her.

She heard the door open, a quiet hum of hydraulics and motors. She recognized the steady footfalls that crossed the floor in their officer's boots. She did not react as they paused, half a meter from her, spread in a combat stance. She didn't want this, not now. Not ever.

Forcing herself to stay calm, Kara carried her movements through to their conclusion and paused for a deep breath before opening her eyes.

Brynja's expression was mixed. Her blue eyes held pain, while her set jaw and the flat line of her lips showed anger. She held her posture awkwardly, as someone who had trained, but never took the time to excel.

Kara adopted a defensive posture, turning aside the blond's punches without retaliating. They were formulaic, precise, enhancing her impression of the fight as a choreographed dance. "You're angry. Why?"

"You don't know?" Brynja demanded, still pressing her attack.

Kara frowned. She was beginning to, and it worried her. "I'm asking."

"Fuck you," Brynja snapped.

The outburst was as much frustration as anger, Kara guessed, but it still surprised her. Brynja took advantage of the opening, executing a throw that laid her out on her back. She should have anticipated the move. She rolled to her feet.

"I'm not guessing, Brynja. Tell me."

Brynja dropped her arms, and turned away. "I had this silly idea that you were interested in me, but you didn't even notice me, did you?"

No, she hadn't, but she hadn't wanted to, and that could have a powerful influence on perceptions. Even thinking back she could see the details, and make the connections she had missed. She had unconsciously avoided doing so, and her own actions, in response, were too unguarded, encouraging the younger women.

"Brynja I can't, don't you see?"

Brynja laughed, bitterly. "If I were purple, I'd be in your bed by now."

Kara lifted Brynja in a biotic field, and threw the protesting blond against the padded wall. The suggestion angered her not just because her sexual activities weren't anyone's business but hers and her partners, but because it implied she'd treat an Asari under her command worse than she would a human. "I don't answer to you."

"Let me down. Now!" Brynja demanded. Kara let her sink to her feet, but still held her firmly in place. She struggled, but it was as useless as trying to jump out of a gravity well.

"Do you think this is easy for me? To know that Liara, and now you, want something from me that I can't let myself give?" she sighed, and relaxed her concentration. The field dissipated quickly. She'd never been able to sustain anger, not even towards people she disliked.

"Why not? You trust me with your life every day. Why can't you trust me to share it?" Brynja pressed. She deserved an answer, at least.

The Alliance's policy on fraternization was not in place just to protect senior officers from compromising their judgement. It also protected junior officers and crew from abuse by their superiors. A captain's authority had to stop somewhere, and certainly did not include seducing her crew.

Kara struggled to find the right words. She trusted Brynja, but did not entirely trust herself. If she pushed for too much, as she knew that sometimes she did, would the young blond have the courage to refuse? She couldn't let herself take that risk. She had seen it before; women and men who felt violated by superior officers, but feared to use their right to say no. Right now, severed from even the possibility of protection from a higher authority, she felt it even more important to hold back. "I trust you, Brynja. I don't trust myself."

"Well, fine. Forget it," Brynja snorted. She started to turn away, but stopped. When she spoke again, her voice was sharply angry. "Well, no. It _is_ me you don't trust, because no silly young ensign could possibly resist the charms of the great Kara Shepard. If I think you're brilliant and amazing and beautiful, it can only be because of some special charisma, not because you _are_ all those things."

She shook her head. "Maybe you're just the most brilliant fool I've ever met," she continued, her voice less harsh, but more cutting, "I don't know. Maybe you're just a self-righteous ass. I do know that if you _really_ trusted me, you'd give me an answer. 'Yes, Brynja, I like you. Let's give it a try.' Even, 'I'm just not interested,' would be honest. You won't even give me that, just some cowardly, foolish gibberish about not trusting yourself."

"I..." Kara hesitated, feeling more uncertain than she had in years, and wounded too. Hiding in the dark; but Kara Shepard never hid from anything. She studied it, understood it, and faced it down.

Brynja was undoubtedly brilliant, the best in her class, and not easily intimidated. A boldness that hinted, through her stories, at conquered introversion. She might reach, unthinking, for what she wanted, as much out of fear of lost opportunity than any deeper feeling. Lúcía represented a lost chance that Brynja would never stop regretting. Now, between the sight of Kara with Elessa, and her fear of Liara's intentions, she must have seen another chance slipping away, and rushed to take it.

Kara took a deep breath. "I do trust you, Brynja, and you're right; I am afraid. I like you, but no more; and I can't deal with more right now. I've got to run a frigate with half-crew; I spend half my time doing system maintenance, and the other half solving the personal issues of what few people I have left. In two weeks, I may have to infiltrate a Geth base with the help of a Turian officer who doesn't trust humans, and an STG captain who won't trust me either. What I need from you is friendship, not romance, and is that really asking too much?"

The young blond hunched her shoulders, her eyes falling. "No. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," Kara smiled softly. "Not for being honest."

* * *

><p>It wasn't until mid afternoon the next day that Kara found time to speak with Ashley. The demands on her time did not revolve around critical decisions, as romanticism would have it, but more and more required her to keep the peace amongst the crew, in addition to the mass of STG report forwarded to her. She hoped things would settle in a few days.<p>

She found the gunnery chief in the mess, cradling a cup of hot coffee between her hands. The lingering side effects of a night of drinking had passed, when Kara sat down across from her.

"Ashley," Kara began quietly. "Why are you here?"

"Ma'am?" Williams asked, looking up from her drink. Her face looked gaunt, her eyes hollow. She was still having the dreams from Eden Prime.

"How are you feeling?" Kara tried. It was a better place to start from, anyway.

"Like hell, ma'am."

As an answer, it had the benefit of succinctness. Kara let the silence between them grow, hoping Ashley would choose to fill it without more prompting.

The black-haired marine sighed. "Things were bad after you left. The Alliance wanted to know why we let you take the ship. Admiral Mikhailovitch was the worst, demanding to know everything about 'Shepard's aliens'. Admiral Hackett ordered us all brought to Arcturus station for interrogation, including Captain Anderson.

"The Captain tried to defend the rest of us, so they started questioning him. You had resigned, they said, and should never had been allowed back onboard the _Normandy_. He shouldn't have let you bring aliens aboard. Even that he shouldn't have left the ship. I don't think he did anything wrong. How would he have known what you were planning?"

"Because I told him," Kara said. Just as she'd told Ashley. They had both chosen not to organize against her. "What about you?"

"They called it 'the Second Williams' Surrender.' Admiral Hackett ordered a tribunal to decide our fates. My father always said a Williams had to perform at a hundred and ten percent, and dammit I tried, but even that wasn't good enough. They pinned the loss of the garrison at Eden Prime on me, and said I could either resign or be court-martialed."

"I'm sorry," Kara sighed. She hadn't expected the Alliance to treat her former crew like criminals. Should they have turned on their fellow officers and crew, and tried to hold the ship by force? Yes, according to military law. Her appeals to the higher authority of the Council should have been ignored.

"No, you're not," Ashley snorted.

Kara laid her hand on Ashley's. She had expected reprimands, as the Alliance attempted to assert that its authority superseded that of a Spectre. She should have seen that General Williams' granddaughter would be especially vulnerable to charges of surrendering to alien authority, but there was nothing she could have done.

"You are. Okay," Ashley said, her eyes falling back to her cup. "I'm just glad my father didn't live to see it. He always said I'd break the Williams' curse."

"What were you doing on the Citadel?"

"I don't know. The nightmares came back after I resigned. I'd see the broken bodies of my men, and they'd accuse me of surrendering to the Geth."

"Ash, look at me," Kara commanded. The marine's brown eyes rose, shimmering with unshed tears. It was easy to see survival as a sign of failure, even when those around you were full of praise. Kara had fought on at Elysium, even after her entire squad had died, and all she could think of, when the battle had ended, was her failure to save them. "You did the right thing, just like your grandfather. His surrender saved a hundred thousand lives. Your survival helped me save Eden Prime. It isn't much comfort, but you have to believe it."

Ashley nodded. "I'll try, ma'am."

"We're not military, Ash. Use my name."

"Yes, ma'am. Kara. Sorry," the marine muttered, wiping the moisture from her eyes. "After I resigned, I couldn't stay on Arcturus Station, and I couldn't bear to face my mother and sisters. They must think I'm a traitor and a coward. I haven't even watched the vids they sent. I guess I ran away, but I'm a soldier. I don't know how to do anything else.

"I was on the Citadel for two weeks, I think, when I got a note from Captain Anderson. It just said that the _Normandy_ had docked at the Citadel. I know you don't have much reason to trust me, but-"

"Ash," Kara interrupted, "it's fine. Welcome back."

Ashley's tense expression eased, a faint smile turning the corners of her mouth. "Thank you, ma'am. I thought you'd throw me in the brig."

"We don't have a brig. I could try locking you in a sleeper pod," Kara said dryly.

"Ma'am? Kara. I'm sorry, Kara."

"That's better," Kara smiled. "You've been through enough. You don't need me doubting you."

"Thank you. I'll be ready whenever you need me," Ashley said, rising to her feet.

Kara leaned back in her chair. "Orlanis is in command of the _Normandy_'s marine contingent. You'll report to her."

* * *

><p>"Shepard," Wrex demanded angrily. "Get her off of me."<p>

The Krogan Battlemaster struggled impotently against the powerful biotics of Kaliran Sallar. Kara had anticipated tension between him and the Turians. Wrex usually kept his temper in check, preferring angry bluster to the real thing when it could get him the same result, but the two species had old grudges that had yet to be resolved. She only wished he had better timing, as they were close to Virmire and had little time for resolution. "I'll see to him, Kaliran. Why don't you check on Auran."

The well-trained Asari commando nodded, releasing the Krogan, though she did not turn her back on him as she left the training room. The Turian female had already been removed to the sickbay, though her injuries had appeared mild.

Kara sighed, and fixed the Wrex with a tired glare. "Well?"

"I told you about my father, Shepard. He tried to kill me because I saw what the Genophage had done to our people. It left us without hope, so we left Tuchanka, and became mercenaries and hired killers, condemning our entire race to a slow death, at a time when we needed to stop and rebuild.

"After I killed my father, my grandfather charged me with recovering our family armor. Its archaic crap by now, but it's ours. A Turian named Tonn Actus has it. He's scum, a pirate and a profiteer who collects artifacts from the Krogan Rebellions. Artifacts stolen from my people."

Wrex had, Kara assumed, concluded that Auran Actus was a relative of Tonn Actus. The Turian's file might have that information, but she had been more concerned with skill and attitude than heritage. "That's hardly a reason to assault Auran."

"She's his daughter."

Kara frowned. "Find a better reason."

"She knows where he's hiding," Wrex growled.

"That's no excuse. You can either put aside your vendetta, or get off my ship. I don't have time for it," Kara stated, staring at him coldly.

"Fine, Shepard," Wrex muttered, shaking his wide head. Where the Turians were tall and predatory, Krogan were squat and defensive, with the side-set eyes characteristic of prey-species on Earth. Life on their homeworld of Tuchanka was, they claimed, a constant struggle, but little evidence had survived the destruction of their world by the pointless fury of nuclear war. "I'll beat it out of her after we stop Saren."

"Take some advice, Wrex," Kara sighed. "Try diplomacy. The Krogan proclivity toward endless posturing has never helped your people."

Wrex laughed. "You really think she'd help a Krogan? Against her own father?"

"You won't find out using threats," Kara pointed out. "Would it be so bad if you didn't have to kill anyone, or is that not the Krogan way?"

"You can be an insulting pyjak, Shepard. You're lucky I'm so forgiving," he growled.

Kara shrugged. "You can't intimidate me. Try something different."

"Dammit, Shepard, fine. I'll try it your way," Wrex grumbled, "but it had better work."

"Good," Kara smiled. "Let me know if you need my help."

* * *

><p>The review button is just below. If you're enjoying this story, let me know.<p> 


	13. Landfall

I wish Bioware would give us full names for their characters; then I wouldn't have to make them up. Made up a few other things, as well, about the Salarians and the Asari.

I had expected the assault to take place this chapter; but this seemed like a good place to end it. This way, I get a bit of extra time to decide who I want to kill off.

Thanks everyone for the reviews. A few comments;

From Nadrek; 'Spectres are mainly self-funded.' I view that as inviting corruption, hence the change. Spectres, including Kara, are indeed funded by the Council. Otherwise, you end up with people like Tela Vasir; moonlighting as a hired killer to cover the expenses.

af-zero; I actually just played Virmire again, to get a sense of strategy. Shepard learns as much or more about indoctrination on Virmire as anywhere else; two Salarian prisoners and Rana. One could also argue that it's much better placement than as a possible last mission; why would Saren be there, waiting for you to attack his base, when he could be on Ilos?

About my lack of plans; I actually prefer it that way. I was writing Ch.3 when I realized that Kara would commandeer the _Normandy_. I trust that things will come together, and I hope it'll work out at least as well as the original story.

Viedyn mentions the training room. We all know the _Normandy_ was missing a few features, so I did make a few modifications. Showers, for example. They're on the crew deck, aft of the mess. There's a separate washroom to the fore of the (shrunken) captain's cabin. I cut the cargo bay in half because, as I mentioned in Ch.11, it doesn't make sense to expose the entire deck(thereby cutting off engineering) to a hostile environment every time the Mako is deployed.

Update 27/4: Minor changes, corrections.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER THIRTEEN<br>Landfall

The _Normandy_ skirted Virmire's tropical terrain by a few meters only. Kara trusted in Jeffrey's piloting skills, but not enough to watch the taller of the lush trees whip past the narrow ports. She preferred to keep her attention firmly fixed on the operations display, where Brynja watched Saren's base for any sign that they had detected an intrusion. Their low altitude kept them beneath the base's detection grid.

With the coordinates sent by the STG, they had located the base from orbit. Saren had made no attempt to hide the extensive facilities, perhaps thinking the remoteness of the Hoc system was protection enough. Even so, three frigate-weight cannons protected the main base from ships in orbit, with eight GARDIAN turrets mounted at outposts along the perimeter.

Finding the Salarians had proved more difficult. They didn't have the numbers for a direct confrontation with a Geth army, and so kept on the move.

Brynja had suggested starting with the Salarian's wrecked ship. It landed some fifty kilometers from the base perimeter, presumably hit by one of the turrets during its approach. The crew had stripped what they could and fled, escaping just as the Geth descended upon them. The had left a rearguard to cover their retreat, the bodies, and the shattered remains of a handful of Geth, lay where they fell.

Thankfully, the Salarians were watching the ship, anticipating relief from the Council, and so they cautiously made contact with Kara as she scouted the site. With the authorization from Councillor Valern, Captain Kirrahe was easily convinced of her purpose, and gave her his location.

"Two kilometers, Cap'n," Jeffrey reported from the helm.

They were, by now, close enough to the perimeter outposts that an observer could spot them visually, and possibly hear them. She wondered how good Geth audio receptors were. Probably excellent. Once they landed, it would be dangerous to take off without disabling the turrets.

Kara leaned over Brynja's shoulder, to switch on the comm. "Orlanis, is everyone suited up?"

"Yes, sir," the Turian answered. "We're ready and waiting in the cargo bay."

"Good," Kara replied, swinging herself into the nearest seat and strapping down. Just in time, too, as the _Normandy_ turned, decelerating rapidly. The ship dropped neatly into the small clearing near the Salarian camp.

"That was fun," Jeffrey grinned, turning his chair to face her. "Not every pilot gets to buzz a forest full of monkeys in a starship."

"Just think, Joker, they're probably making up myths about you already," Sayuri laughed, from the copilot's seat. "I just hope you didn't scratch the paintwork. The god who clipped the trees-kind of lame, if you ask me."

"Captain, can I put her on report or something? Mockery of flying like that shows a real lack of judgement."

Kara had risen while they bantered, leaning over Brynja's shoulder again as she checked the monitor for enemy activity. The blond turned in her seat, and rolled her eyes.

Kara laughed, as much at Brynja as the two pilots. She was grateful that their relationship had remained strong, despite the new tension between them. "Stop that," she muttered at the blond, before turning towards the helm. "I'll tell the monkeys. Every god needs an enemy."

"Not to mention an unsupportive captain? Fine. I'll just sit here and play with my controls."

Kara wasn't even sure if Virmire had mammalian life, let alone bipeds. She had only checked for dangerous predators, and found none. Warm and humid, with beautiful blue oceans and sandy shores, It was very much a garden world; the perfect place for a picnic, Brynja might have said, if not for the Geth.

"Nice flying, Jeff," Kara said. "I wouldn't want anyone else at the helm in a crisis. You might be the only person on board who can fly this ship, once this mission gets started, so get some rest while you can."

"Aye, sir," he nodded. "Sayuri, the helm is yours. Try not to crash into anything."

Kara simply shook her head, and made her way down to the cargo bay, where Orlanis had already opened the external door. She stood in the opening, talking to a Salarian, his armor marked with the insignia of an STG captain. She had already ordered the marines deployed to help defend the camp, as they'd discussed.

"Captain Sevis Kirrahe, this is Spectre Kara Shepard," the Turian said, as Kara approached.

"Shepard," he nodded, the tension in his voice obvious even through the translator. "I had hoped the Council would send an army."

"We both know that's impossible," Kara replied. "The Council can't send a fleet into the Traverse without risking war with the Batarians and the Terminus Systems."

The Salarian captain's dark eyes fixed intently on her face. "Such a war would benefit the Systems Alliance."

"Yes," Kara agreed, "but I'm not the Alliance, and I don't want war with anyone."

"Shepard, the situation here is dire. Saren's base is heavily fortified, and worse, he's breeding an army of Krogan."

"What?" Orlanis cried. "That's impossible. The Genophage-"

"They've developed a cure," Kirrahe stated.

Kara groaned. The Genophage was a Salarian-made bioweapon, inflicted on the Krogan by the Turians to end the Krogan rebellions. It altered their genetic code, blocking the production of certain hormones in most Krogan females, preventing fetal development, and drastically reduced the number of live births. It was a monstrous way to end a monstrous war.

"Damn," Orlanis breathed. "If word got out, the Krogan would rally to Saren's cause. The cure can't be allowed to survive."

Couldn't it? The Salarians designed the Genophage as an alternative to genocide, but the Krogan species had slowly diminished since the end of the rebellion, spending itself in clan conflicts and mercenary ventures. They needed a cure. If it could be taken from Saren, and delivered to a Krogan leader with the strength and foresight to forge a stable society, there might be reason to hope, but she knew of no such leader, and without change a cure would inevitably lead to a repeat of the rebellions. Did she have the right to risk another war, or to deny the Krogan a second chance?

"Captain, I'd like to fully review the situation before we make any plans."

"Of course," the Salarian agreed. "I have the relevant information on my omnitool."

"Good," Kara said, gesturing toward the interior of her ship. "Let's continue this in the briefing room."

xxxx

Seventeen Salarians had survived, out of a crew of forty. According to Kirrahe, he had only lost two in the crash, and another five providing cover while the other survivors escaped the wreck. The rest were lost on recon missions, or in the occasional small clashes with Geth patrols. Kara had brought another seventeen combat-ready soldiers, for a total of thirty-four against an army of Geth and Krogan of unknown size, entrenched in a fortified position. She did not care for the odds.

"Sevis, I can't allow a frontal assault," Kara insisted, studying the map of the facility thrown up on the main display. The base's primary entrance opened north onto a pair of landing pads, with far too little cover for her taste. "You'll attack the gate, but as a diversion only. I'll be leading a squad in through the secondary entrance on the east side. We'll do whatever damage we can, but our primary goal will be to locate any information on Saren's plans."

"Orlanis, you'll lead Auran and Valaris in through the drainage tunnels on the west side. Your goal will be to shut down the AA turrets, then secure the target site here," she continued, gesturing at an open plaza on the map. She had agonized over the decision, and wasn't sure if the Turian had the necessary skill, but it was ultimately a better choice than trying to break in through the front door.

Orlanis frowned. "I believe Yana's biotics would be more of an asset against the Krogan, if I could take her and Auran instead."

"The choice is yours," Kara agreed. Yana was Orlanis' second in command, and the logical choice to leave behind, but Kara intended to split up the remaining CSec team anyway.

"I appreciate your trust, Kara," the Turian nodded.

"Good. Once our teams are in position outside the base, Kaiden will lead an attack on this outpost here," Kara said, pointing out one of the northern posts, about half a kilometer from the gate. "He'll have a team of five and the Mako. Hopefully, the Geth will scrambled a squad to retake the outpost. Sevis, you'll hit them from behind while they engage Kaiden's team. At the same time, the third team, under Commander Rentola, will hit the second northern outpost using the _Ke'val_."

The Salarian _Ke'val_ light vehicle, used a large mass effect core and control thrusters to glide above the terrain, allowing for lateral as well as vertical movement. While lightly armored, it had strong kinetic barriers, an axial-mounted 140mm cannon, and a turreted antipersonnel machine gun with VI control. The interior had space for only four personnel, a pilot and three passengers.

"Then we hit the main entrance, right?" Kirrahe asked.

Kara nodded. "Kaiden will lead the _Normandy_'s marine contingent, under your command. Lixandris and Wrex will join your group, while Valaris and Yaliran will go with Rentola." She met Orlanis' gaze; she had promised the Turian a say in her squad's deployment.

Orlanis did not look happy with the idea, her mandibles tight as she decided how to respond. Even as a diversion, the attack was dangerous, but again, what choice did they have? "I agree."

"Will the Krogan be reliable?" Kirrahe asked. "What if he finds out about the cure?"

"I'm going to tell him," Kara said. "He'll be angry, but he'll see that Saren needs to be stopped."

"It's a solid plan, Shepard. Good. I recommend we attack at an hour after dawn."

"I agree." Salarians had decent night vision, but the rest of them did not, and the Geth almost certainly weren't affected by darkness. "Once the turrets are shut down, the _Normandy_ will land as close to the deployment site as possible, and drop off your modified drive core. It'll then return to pick you up. Be ready to leave, and don't leave anyone behind if you can help it."

xxxx

Kara found Wrex on the edge of the Salarian camp, keeping watch through the thick jungle. As a species, the Krogan had an excellent sense of hearing and smell, but moderate eyesight, which in part explained their taste for close combat.

"So, what, Shepard? Have you got a plan?"

"We do," Kara said, taking up watch beside him. "You'll like it. You get to fight an endless horde of Geth and Krogan."

He laughed. "You're right, I do like it. So, where did he get all the Krogan from? I never heard anything about Saren contracting mercenaries."

"He's breeding them here." She braced herself, waiting for him to make the connections and challenge her. She knew it wouldn't taking him long.

"Breeding? How... you mean, he's found a cure for the Genophage?"

"Yes," she said. "And we're going to blow it up."

"What? You're going to have to explain that one, Shepard. Saren created a cure, and you want to destroy it? Maybe I should be fighting on his side."

Kara sighed. "I don't want to, but what choice do you think I have? Saren is breeding an army, not free Krogan, and you know I can't let him continue."

"Not good enough," Wrex growled. "This is the future of my species we're talking about."

"What future? An army at Saren's command?" Kara demanded. "Weapons, with no choice, no honor, and no tales of heroic deeds told over barrels of ryncol. Just war and death, enslaved to Saren's mad ambitions. If that base survives, there won't be a future for the Krogans."

Wrex grumbled, staring off into the jungle. "You're right. We'd be nothing more than tools to him. We destroyed the Rachni and saved the galaxy, and as a reward the Council neutered us. Saren wouldn't be as generous."

"That's a flawed view of history, Wrex. The Council used the Krogan, but your people had time enough to set their own boundaries after the Rachni Wars. They failed, and that alone made the Krogan Rebellion inevitable." Kara shook her head, turning towards the Krogan. "The Genophage might have ended the Rebellion, but it only defeated your people because they refused to adapt. You said as much yourself."

"Yes," Wrex grunted.

"You'll be fighting under Captain Kirrahe's command, tomorrow. Will that be a problem?"

"No."

Kara sighed. Perhaps he would do better under Alenko's command, but her intent had been to provide each group with biotic support. If she moved Wrex, it would mean putting Liara under Kirrahe's command, and she remained reluctant to throw the young Asari into heavy fighting. "Good."

She started back to the _Normandy_. Those Salarians not on watch were loading their supplies onto the ship, with some help from her crew, in preparation for their departure. Seventeen more passengers would raise the _Normandy_ past capacity, but she had no intention of leaving them behind. How many of them would survive the battle, though? And how many of her marines were about to die?

She found Ashley in the cargo bay, studying the Salarian drive core with Aaron Handel and an STG combat tech. Kara had chosen them to deploy and arm the core, and, if necessary, to guard it while the _Normandy_ escaped. "How are you feeling, Ash?"

"Ready to fight, sir. I just wish I were coming with you, or holding the line with the LT," the marine said, standing.

"I know," Kara smiled, placing her hand on Ashley's arm. "Someone has to guard the ship, though, and plant that thing." She nodded towards the bomb with distaste. According to Kirrahe, the modified drive core would produce a twenty kiloton explosion. She didn't like the idea of detonating it on an untouched garden world, but at least it wouldn't do any permanent damage. Not like Saren.

"Sir... Kara... I may not have a chance to say it in the morning, so, good luck, and if you see that bastard Saren, put a few extra holes in him for me."

Kara saw the flash of anger in Ashley's eyes, still haunted as they were by the ghosts of the dead. There was every chance that Saren was not on Virmire at all, or that he would avoid facing her and flee, but she hoped that destroying the base alone might help the marine recover from the loss at Eden Prime. She did not want to encourage vengeance, so limited herself to a quiet; "We'll stop him."

"Good," Ashley nodded firmly. "I should get back to work. I want to go through the armory again, before I bunk down."

xxxx

The _Normandy_'s drive core was thankfully still, powered down while the ship remained on the surface. Kara followed the narrow maintenance walkway back along the length of the core. She found Tali at one of the static discharge stations, checking to see that it had fulfilled its function, and emptied the buffers of the static charge built up by normal operation of the core. "Oh, Kara," the Quarian said as she approached. "What are you doing down here?"

Kara smiled. It was a fair question, given that she normally avoided proximity to the core, but it did not, in its current state, affect her. "I wanted to talk with you."

"Good." Tali shut off the system display, and closed the access panel. "I can take care of myself, you know."

"I know." The young Qurian had spent most of her free time over the past month training, when she wasn't helping maintain the ship. She was a better shot than some of the marines, and had a few technical tricks that made her an excellent choice for any mission against the Geth.

"Then why are you trying to leave me behind?" Tali demanded. "You'll be out there, with our friends, risking your lives. I want to help."

Kara knew the feeling, but Tali was young, too young to get tossed into battle. Most human soldiers were as well, drafted by some confluence of circumstances beyond their control. Poverty, distorted history, and vids that glamorized war as some sort of heroic game. The Quarian's Pilgrimage was hardly better, throwing their youth into the galaxy with little more than their wits and a handful of credits.

"We have an opportunity to download Saren's database, and I intend to take it. I might be able to hack the system myself, but we'll only get one chance. I'd rather you did it."

"Oh, you... I didn't realize..."

Kara frowned, and leaned over the railing. The inert core was close enough to reach out and touch. "You weren't far wrong, Tali. I wish I didn't need you out there. You're young, and maybe you think it's glorious. It isn't." She sighed. Tali would find out for herself soon enough. "I suppose that, as the daughter of an Admiral, your people expect great things from you."

"Stealing a ship is a capital offense in the Migrant Fleet," the young Quarian said. "I don't even know if I can go home. My father probably thinks I'm a traitor." Her voice grew weaker as she finished speaking, and her eyes closed.

Kara put her arms around the Quarian, pulling her close. "You heard something from the Fleet, didn't you."

Tali didn't speak, but she nodded, clinging to awkwardly to Kara.

"Listen to me, Tali," Kara said. "When this is over, we'll find you a pilgrimage gift that'll have every captain in the Flotilla trying to get you on their crew; and if that isn't enough, _I'll_ talk to them."

Tali laughed, interrupted by a sniff that made it clear she had been crying. "Thanks, Kara," she managed, pulling out of the embrace. "Even growing up, I never considered not returning from my Pilgrimage. I guess I just needed someone to tell me that hadn't changed."

"It hasn't," Kara replied, smiling softly, "and it won't. If ever you need to talk, come find me."

xxxx

Thousands of stars shimmered softly through Virmire's pristine atmosphere. Kara watched them wheel overhead from her position atop the _Normandy_'s hull. She had lain back, her shirt carefully folded and tucked beneath her head as a pillow. The cool metal felt good against her back, a contrast to the warm and humid air that hung, still and silent, over the area.

She had tried to sleep, in the confines of her cabin, but found it impossible. The crew was restless, nervously waiting for the dawn. The insulated walls had muffled their tense laughter, but that had only made her feel worse, and so she fled, looking for privacy. Or for quiet. From her position at the _Normandy_'s aft end, she could hear only the occasional murmur of voices from the Salarian camp, and the rustle of animals moving through the jungle. The steady, relaxing sound of the nearby ocean, waves washing against sandy shores.

She felt like she had dozed fitfully, between long moments of stargazing. As a spacer, she had grown up with constant starscapes, and had seen the galaxy from a dozen points of view. She had lain in long grass on Thessia, listening to ancient Asari tales, immortalized in constellations; watched as a colonist on Elysium pointed out those things modern humans saw in the night sky, alien faces mixed up with ancient myths from a dozen different cultures. The stars overhead now told no stories, not to her. She wondered if Saren had studied them, and if he saw those things that mattered to him.

She must have drifted off again, for she didn't hear the sound of soft boots on the hull. A soft voice, speaking her name, roused her, and she pushed herself up on her elbow, cushioned by her shirt. "Yes?"

"You're not an easy person to find," Liara said. The dim starlight reflected in her eyes, but Kara could only make out the silhouette of her face against the sky. "I searched the ship twice, before a Salarian told me he'd seen someone walking on the hull. It sounded like something you would do."

Kara sat up, and turned sideways, so Liara could sit beside her on the apex of the curved hull. The Asari had a limited ability to see thermal infrared, a common trait of many Thessian species, though not with great distinction; enough to see that she was topless. They had no social rules against public nudity, though it was by no means the norm, so she did not reach for her shirt. "You've been studying my behavior."

"I also brought you tea," the young Asari added, taking the place Kara had opened for her, close enough that they were touching.

A few moments passed, before Liara pressed a cup into her hand. She breathed in a cloud of aromatic steam. Green tea. "Thank you."

"It's almost dawn."

"Yeah."

Kara hadn't paid much attention to the time, beyond setting her omnitool to alert her when she needed to start prep, but it felt right. She knew they were facing east, the same direction from which came the sound of waves. She could see the stars, reflected in the sea, and at the horizon, perhaps, a growing patch of light.

Appreciation for the dawn was a primitive, perhaps universal attraction, and one of the few things shared by every species she knew of, though the Krogan and Turians did not, she recalled, find it romantic.

The Asari did. Kara should have fled right then. Thanked Liara for the tea, and escaped. She did not. The first few stars began to disappear into the lightening sky. Instead, she put her arm around the Asari's shoulders. She intended it, consciously at least, as a friendly gesture. It could have passed for such, to either of their races.

The trouble was, Liara wanted more. She was beautiful, brilliant, sometimes awkward, but confident in her knowledge and training. She expressed her interest subtly, and never with words. She preferred gestures, like the tea. She sighed, and leaned her head on Kara's shoulder.

Kara leaned her head against Liara's. The soft skin of the Asari's crests pressed against her cheek. "Liara, I-"

"Hush," Liara whispered. Her arms had found their way around Kara's waist, linked fingers soft against her side. "It isn't time yet."

The stars had faded, and only a few minutes remained before dawn. Kara pressed a kiss against the top of Liara's head, and sipped her tea. It seemed as though she had made a decision. She could only hope Brynja would understand. She cared about the young blond as much as she did the Asari.

Hoc rose, a pale sliver at first, rapidly forming into a blazing sphere. Liara had closed her eyes, as the new day illuminated her face. A soft smile turned the corners of her lips.

Kara brushed her lips against them.


	14. Infiltration

I didn't want to do a running battle through Saren's base; not really my thing. This is still the longest chapter to date, with almost 5.4 thousand words. In order to keep things consistent, I've written up a few 'combat rules', which I've followed closely.

Note that I've included thermal clips as well as power cells for weaponry; but weapons still cool down on their own. The ME2/3 system made very little sense from a lore standpoint, and I hate the modern Shooter mechanic where you can throw away a nearly full clip and magically keep all the bullets. And interchangeable thermal clips should be, um, interchangeable. One supply for all.

So, new thermal clip mechanic; overheating damages clips, but a 'warm' clip can be replaced with a fresh one, with the old hung on the user's belt to cool down. They are also universal(or nearly so), and can fit any standard weapon. Power cells are similarly universal.

af-zero; I'll do my best to keep writing. It certainly helps that some is willing to offer feedback, so thanks again for that.

Updated Chapters:

1: To reflect thermal clip mechanic.  
>5: With more Ehigha!<br>9: Shockwave, more armor damage, and a note on the chilling effects of depressurization  
>13: Anonymous little stuff.<p>

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><p>CHAPTER FOURTEEN<br>Infiltration

Half an hour later, Kara had finished suiting up, switching on her headset to check the state of her armor. All systems were green, the power cells fully charged. She claimed her favorite heavy pistol from the weapons locker, and slid it into her holster, and slung an assault rifle over her shoulder. Her pockets were filled with the usual high-energy rations. The belt clips for weapon heat sinks and power cells were all full. "Are you ready, Liara?" she asked, adding a portable shield generator to her arsenal. Several Salarians had disappeared while on patrol; if they were captured, she would rescue them if possible. A personal generator wouldn't protect them in a fight, but it would work against a few stray bullets. Hopefully, that'd be enough.

The young Asari delivered a terse, "no."

Kara smiled, despite the situation. She knew the feeling, and brushed the back of her hand against Liara's soft cheek. She resented the layer of ballistic cloth that kept her from touching skin. "You can do this." She wanted, now more than ever, to keep the Asari out of the battle, safe aboard the _Normandy_.

"With you at my side..." Liara smiled back. It had been a mistake, to take even so small a step beyond friendship, but it was done; she could only hope that it would not get them killed. "Let's go, Captain."

Kara nodded, and led the way out of the armory, down the corridor and into the cargo bay. Her XO was waiting there, and Brynja. "Keyx," she said. "You came down to see us off?"

"Yes, ma'am," he nodded. "I wanted to wish you luck."

"Kaiden will need it more, but thanks," she replied. "You're clear on your orders?"

"Yes, ma'am," he confirmed.

"Good. If you can get a shot at the main doors on your way through, take it," she told him.

"That'll thrill Joker."

"Maybe," she sighed. "Brynja, keep watch for Geth ships, and tell Jeff to keep out of their way. I'd prefer he avoided an atmospheric fight."

"Stop worrying, Kara," the blond smiled, the expression forced. Her blue eyes hid as much anxiety as Kara felt. "We'll be fine. As for you-take care of her, Liara." She advanced, catching the Asari in a warm embrace. "You'd better get going," she muttered, straightening her shirt as she backed off.

Kara nodded, and made her way down the cargo ramp. Kirrahe was giving a speech as she approached, while all three assault teams listened attentively. Kara waited patiently; it was fairly standard Salarian military rhetoric, though well delivered, but it did not interest her.

After he finished his speech, he turned to face her. "Shepard. Lieutenant Septalus and her squad have just arrived at their insertion point. Corporal Ilan'ne is returning with the _Ke'val_ now."

"Good," she said, indicating that he should follow her toward the group of human marines. "Is there anything else you need, before we get started?"

"No. My troops are ready."

Kaiden and Tali emerged from his team, as Kara approached. The rest stood to attention, except for Garrus. She waved them down irritably. They probably expected a speech, but she couldn't think of anything to say that didn't sound trite. There were eight in the team, seven of them human. After more than a month together, she could say that she knew each of them. They had trusted her, some because of the legends surrounding Elysium, some because of Sayuri and Torfan, and she was about to get them killed; some, at least, and maybe all.

"The battle ahead will not be easy," she said, quietly, "but you know that it is necessary. We are all that stands between the galaxy and the army Saren is breeding here. We may not stop him today, but we will destroy this base, and his army with it. We will save thousand of lives. So fight hard, watch out for each other, and don't get killed. You can do this." Sayuri tossed her a strange look from the back row; Ehigha look as though her were about to be sick. The rest were nervous or grinning.

Kara gave them her best, confident smile. "Take care of them, Kaiden."

"I'll do my best, sir," he told her. He was good at covering his emotions; much better than her.

The _Ke'val_ glided up to the edge of the camp, its hatch sliding open. _Time to go._

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, Kara crouched in the jungle less than a hundred meters from the eastern entrance to Saren's base. Kaiden had reported moderate resistance at the first outpost, which they overcome with a single casualty. Marine Private Shih Baojia had taken a bullet through his chest just after the attack began. No news yet on whether or not he might survive the injury, but she knew Ehigha would do everything possible. With a limited battlefield medkit, it could easily not be enough.<p>

"_The Geth are taking the bait_," reported Kirrahe's quick voice. "Aegohr_, hold your position and wait for my signal_."

"_The network link is down_," Kaiden said. "_Turret One is under local control. Attempting to pass control to the Normandy V_I."

"_Control link established, Lieutenant._"

A few long minutes passed. Kaiden spoke again; "_Geth reinforcements have arrived at Outpost One. Engaging_."

"Aegohr_, that's our signal. _Mannovai_, start your assault on Outpost Two. Shadow teams, go_."

She gave her pistol one last check, and moved out. Her headset showed that her two companions were following-she resisted the urge to check. She did not need another view of Liara's beautiful blue eyes. She needed to focus.

Instead, she kept moving, watching carefully for any sign of Geth at the small side entrance. They would be on guard, but her hope was that they would make the assault on the front doors a priority. Nothing.

"Tali, get the door," she ordered, as the cross the last few meters. "Liara," she added, indicating the side opposite the Quarian. She took up position directly in front of the door, herself.

"Overriding the lock," Tali muttered, busying herself with her omnitool and the door's controls.

While she waited, Kara made her final preparations. Concentrating carefully, she wrapped her pistol's ammo block in a biotic field; an advanced technique, the field would interact with the pistol's field, decreasing projectile mass still further in the acceleration chamber, allowing for a higher exit velocity, then reversing to increase the fragment mass, and therefor momentum, as it struck its target. She let her amp take over maintenance.

"Aegohr_, form up. We've got targets approaching from the base. _Jaeto_, take our right flank._" _Jaeto_ was Kaiden's group. They must have mopped up the first Geth reinforcements. They would be starting the attack on the main entrance soon; she set her comm to filter out all but priority messages. Kirrahe did not need her giving orders

"Ready, Kara," Tali said, looking at Kara over her shoulder; at a nod, she opened the door.

Kara tossed a disruption field at the first Geth she saw, firing her first shot through the small gap that opened in its barriers, punching a hole in the robot's chest. She must have missed anything vital, for it staggered, but stayed upright. Her second sent it sprawling backwards. She rolled out of the way as its three companions returned fire.

Liara readied her submachine gun, and fired a burst around the door frame. Inaccurate sprays of ammo shards were greatly effective at pushing suit VIs past their panic threshold, but Kara had no idea how they would work against the Geth. If they could network projectile analysis, then not well.

The Asari threw a biotic attack through the opening, then withdrew under a hail of return fire.

Tali leaned out, just for a second; then rolled a grenade through the door.

Kara waited for the explosion, then rushed through. The last two Geth were down, one shattered. The other squirmed on the ground; the explosion had torn off one of its legs, and half an arm. She watched as it realize the futility of its attempts, and shut down. "Let's move," she ordered.

They were in a small warehouse, stacked high with crates in orderly rows. A corner office, or security checkpoint, held a computer console. Kara pointed it out to Tali. "See if you can get us a map of this place."

"Got it," Tali confirmed.

Kara inspected one of the crates, making sure to keep in full view of the door. The label was in a Council language, Turian she thought. She lifted the lid. Krogan armor, its polished plates gleaming in the dim light. Letting the lid fall, she scanned the label with her omnitool. _Armax Arsenals_, a high-end manufacturer of weapons and armor. There were enough crates for forty sets at least.

It raised questions. Armax primarily supplied the Turian military, and its external sales were tightly controlled; one did not bulk-purchase armor from them without attracting attention from the highest levels of the Hierarchy. "I hope we can find something to explain this," she muttered, half to herself. Had he bought them one at a time? Through his own account, or intermediaries? Where did he get the money? Why didn't the Council know about it?

"Hey, Kara," Tali said, coming out of the office. "I found you a map. I downloaded as much data as I could while I was in, but Saren's personal database and the labs are on a separate system. The good news is that I crashed their defense net, so their response will be scattered from now on."

"Good work," Kara nodded. "Pass me that map, and we can figure out how to go about this."

A moment's effort, and Kara had the map up on her omnitool's holographic display. They were in a cluster of warehouses that covered the entire east side of the base. The lab facilities and Saren's office were both on the south end, and the deployment site for the bomb in the center. She laid out a route in her head, one that would keep them out of the open where possible.

"Let's go."

* * *

><p>The assault on the main base had apparently drawn most of the Geth, but not all of them. Kara and her team faced moderate resistance, but she kept them moving, forcing the AI platforms to remain on the defensive. An ambush, or worse, getting pinned down and encircled, would have ended their mission quickly. Both were a strong possibility.<p>

They entered the labs through an emergency exit on the east end, and made their way swiftly to the lift. The top floors housed the labs, while the breeding chambers occupied the lower floors.

The door opened out onto a large room. Cloning tanks lined the wall, and a large variety of equipment. "Some of this stuff is pretty advanced," Tali remarked.

"Yes. Tali, find a terminal and download whatever you can find, especially research data. I want to know everything that happened here."

The young Quarian nodded, and moved off. Kara approached the nearest tank, and paused in horror.

It wasn't a cloning tank at all. It was some sort of breeding tank. A Krogan female hung inside it in a transparent liquid, her eyes open and unfocused. Saren really was breeding an army, then; forcing females to endure constant pregnancy, while taking their children to be indoctrinated and used as shock troops.

"Kara, look at this," Tali called; Kara walked over to her. "The latest entry; status of Salarians prisoners. They're being held on the lower level, in the indoctrination lab."

"We'll take a look, as soon as you're done."

"Good," Tali replied. "I'd hate to leave them here to die."

"Kara!" Liara exclaimed, moving to cover near the lift; "Someone's coming up."

Kara took up a position in the open. "Tali, finish your work. We'll cover for you."

The lift stopped, and the door opened. Three Krogan stepped out. Two were young, but their was something odd about them; they didn't look excited at a change to test their strength. The third did, though he looked older, and angry. He growled at her. "You must be the reason those pathetic Salarians worked up the nerve to attack. I would have crushed them them the moment they landed, but Saren thought it was a waste of time."

Stalling was good. The longer they talked, the more time Tali had to finish her work. "Shouldn't you be out there fighting, rather than in here mocking them?"

"My responsibility is this lab, which is why I'm going to kill you. Maybe turn your suit-rat into a husk."

"Before we get on with that, explain to me why you're willing to turn your entire race into slaves?" Kara demanded.

Sadly, the Krogan did not appear interested in expounding on his plans, making him a dull, if practical, villain. He pulled out his shotgun. "That would be waste of time," he declared, before firing his first shot.

Kara let her shields absorb the impact. He hung back, while his two companions charged, only to run into a biotic field that threw them backwards. She focused on them; Krogans were much more dangerous at close range, and taking on two at once was beyond her skills.

Liara joined her in pelting one of the fallen Krogan with shards; his shields flared quickly under the Asari's SMG, fire, draining their robust capacitors. Kara hit the second with a disruption field, and fired a single shot through the gap in his shields; he hit the floor with an impact that shook the room.

The older Krogan charged Liara; firing blast after blast from his shotgun. Kara attempted to throw him, but his shields absorbed the biotic attack. The Asari had switched to firing on him, but he was too close-she didn't have time to take his shields down.

Tali intercepted him with an overload EM burst, temporarily shutting down his VI. With his shields out, she blasted the surprised Krogan in the face with her shotgun. It made quite a mess.

The young Quarian turned away. "Bosh'tet," she muttered. "I feel sick."

Kara watched as Liara went to finish off the last Krogan, firing a ripping a hole his shields and firing a burst into his skull. "I'm sorry. I should have been faster."

"No. I'll be fine," Tali insisted. "I just need to think about something else."

The blood-and-brains horrors of combat had ceased bothering Kara some years ago, but she remembered when it still had. She had left a trail of vomit across her first battlefield. "Let's get out of here."

Tali nodded. "Yeah." She led the way into the lift.

Kara followed reluctantly, with a last glance at the tank. She wished that she could've done something for the Krogan female. She resented the circumstances that had forced Tali to kill, and that they were largely of her doing.

As the lift proceeded downward, Kara checked her map for the best route to the indoctrination lab. The name suggested brainwashing and reconditioning, techniques STG operatives were trained to resist. The files Tali downloaded would have more information.

The journey was uneventful; bland, grey corridors and locked doors. They were all labeled as breeding chambers on her map; she tried not to think of row upon row of tanks, each one filled with an enslaved female. It made her furious. There were some things that desperate circumstances could justify, though she refused to; and others that were unacceptable no matter what.

The entire trip took a few minutes only. Tali started hacking the door as soon as they arrived, while Kara stood ready. When it opened, she rushed in.

The room was empty, save for two Salarians, unbound, working at a console. They turned to stare her. Their eyes were... empty, she supposed. Devoid of emotion. Their clothes were nondescript, white and loose. They didn't speak at all, their confusion simply contorting into rage. One of them pulled a pistol and began to fire.

Kara rushed him, knocking the gun away and slamming his head against the wall. He slumped to the floor, unconscious.

The second Salarian had time to react when she attacked him, but his movements were slow and unfocused, and she quickly overpowered him. She lowered him gently to the floor.

"Hey, you! Let me out of here," a tense Salarian voice demanded.

There were cells on either end of the room, sealed with mass effect barriers. In one of them, a slim figure waved to attract her attention. "Who are you?"

"Lieutenant Ganto Imness, STG. You must be working with Captain Kirrahe to destroy this base?"

Kara holstered her pistol, and retrieved the one dropped by the fallen Salarian. "That's right."

The other cells contained more Salarians, she noticed. Some watched her intently with dull eyes. Others sat, muttering to themselves.

"Kara, this equipment," Liara said, studying what looked like a modified neural scanner, "it's all for neural imaging. Whoever worked on this was trying to improve the resolution."

"Yeah," Tali agreed. "It's like they're studying something, not doing experiments themselves."

"Yes, yes. They call it Indoctrination," Ganto interrupted. "They subjected my squad to it. I watched them become like that."

Kara followed his gesture to the next cell, where four Salarians were kept. They had not even acknowledged her presence.

"At first they complained of hearing voices. Whispered commands. They said they needed to obey, but over time they became less coherent. Now..."

Kara nodded, and opened Ganto's cell. "What about you?"

"The Asari said I was the control group," he remarked bitterly, walking out of the cell to stare at his former squad. "They were my men, and I had to watch them become like this."

"It's true," Tali whispered, over Kara's shoulder. "There's a report from six days ago, which mentions keeping him 'free of indoctrination.'"

"Lieutenant," Kara said, offering the Salarian the portable shield generator and pistol. Trusting him was still a risk, but she was unwilling to leave him behind. He would never survive the blast. "We have to go. Are you coming?"

"Yes. No reason to stay here and die," he said. "This place has to be destroyed."

* * *

><p>"Normandy<em>, this is Shadow Two. The defenses are down. Begin your assault. We'll see you at the drop site.<em>"

Kara sighed with relief. They had just entered Saren's office building, through the only door. Once they finished looking around, they'd be ready to meet Orlanis at the drop site. The mission had been a horror from the beginning, and she just wanted it to end.

"We'd better hurry, Kara," Liara noted. They were in what appeared to be a secretary's office, with a wide desk and a lift at the back, which led up to Saren's office.

"I'll get the lift," Tali volunteered.

An Asari rose from behind the desk. "Uh, I can get that for you. Just don't shoot me."

"You!" Ganto shouted; she barely had time to duck before he started shooting. Kara had to wrest the gun from him. "That's Rana Thanoptis, the Asari who experimented on my men!"

The Asari peered over the edge of the desk. "Saren hired me to study Indoctrination," she admitted. "I only studied its effects, I never hurt anyone. It makes people obey him, but I don't really think he controls it."

"Keep talking," Kara ordered coldly.

"It's that dreadnaught, Sovereign. It generates some sort of signal, but we can't even trace it. It doesn't just affect who he wants. I had the terrifying job of examining my predecessor. I'd rather not be next."

"Did you think about leaving?" Ganto demanded.

Rana laughed bitterly. "Sure, and go where? Virmire is a secret base. Saren controls every ship that comes through."

Kara could think of an option off-hand; Rana could have helped Ganto and his squad escape, back when they were captured and still capable of doing so. It was revealing that she had not considered it. "So what exactly were you researching?"

"Saren wanted a way to prevent, and possibly reverse, the effects of Indoctrination. I think he was worried that it might be affecting him."

Interesting; Saren's fear implied that another will controlled the Indoctrination process, someone or something beyond his control. Not the Reapers, if he was working to bring about their return, but possibly _a_ Reaper.

"Open the lift." Kara watched Rana punching controls at the desk. In many ways, the Asari scientist was as much a prisoner of Saren as the Salarians. That did not excuse her lack of concern for her test subjects. Still, it was no reason to leave her die, when she might have useful information. "Rana, you're coming with us."

"I'd rather-"

The Asari scientist was interrupted by a series of explosions. "That was the _Normandy_ blasting holes in this base's defenses. Next, it'll plant a bomb that will reduce this place to rubble. What were you saying?"

"I'll come with you," Rana muttered.

"Good. Tali, Liara, into the lift. Ganto," Kara ordered, handing the Salarian his gun back, "watch her. I want her alive."

"Fine," he grumbled. "As long as she ends up in a cell."

Rana frowned, but, faced with an armed and angry former prisoner, she did not voice her concerns.

Kara stepped into the lift, and pressed the control. She should, perhaps, have left Liara behind and taken Ganto along, but she was not comfortable with the idea of separating her squad. Or was it simply letting Liara out of her sight?

The lift stopped, the doors opening out onto a single large room. Tall windows on the far end revealed a beautiful vista of blue ocean contrasted with a pale indigo sky, interspersed with islands of green jungle below, and white cloud above.

"Kara, look; another beacon," Liara exclaimed, pointing across the room. The black spire, about three meters tall, sat between two panes of the window. Lines of green light emanated from its surface. "It's active, too."

"Just like the one on Eden Prime," Kara said, as they walked over to it. If Saren needed both visions, then she so did she, but the first had knocked her unconscious for hours. While better prepared now, it was a risk she didn't care to take. She tried lifting it with a biotic field, but it weighed more than she could carry. "Liara, I have to use that beacon. If I loose consciousness, you'll have to take charge."

"Kara, I can't-"

"You can," Kara interrupted softly. She turned away quickly, and stepped into the beacon's range. It flared to life at her touch.

Pain, again, though less intense; violent flashes of images, mostly the same as before. Still jumbled and confused; fire and death, and a city, intact one moment, then crumbled ruins. Despair, and determination.

Blackness.

* * *

><p>Someone was shaking her roughly. "Kara! Wake up!"<p>

"Liara?" she muttered; her head ached, and she struggled to remember where she was. Her eyes opened, and fell on the Asari's face. She looked relieved; Kara couldn't help but smile. "Where am I?"

"We're in Saren's office, remember? On Virmire?"

Virmire. Breeding Krogan. The raid. She jerked upright. "Fuck. How long?"

"Ten minutes," Liara said. "Tali tried to access a terminal, but it wasn't... Kara, Sovereign isn't a Reaper ship. It is a Reaper."

"Let's go," Kara muttered, struggling to stand. She remembered the beacon vision more clearly this time, though it still meant almost nothing. With Liara's help, she stumbled toward the lift.

"There's something else," the Asari said. "The _Normandy_ landed just after you activated the beacon. Most of the Geth broke off from the fight at the base. Kirrahe ordered a charge."

They started down. "Damn. You did good, Liara," Kara sighed. "Kirrahe, this is Shadow One. What's your situation?"

"_Shepard? We're under heavy fire. We'll try and make the drop site, but you may have to leave without us,"_ the STG captain responded.

"Shadow Two, report."

"_We're at the drop site. The core is deployed and ready for activation. There are Geth incoming from all sides, but we're holding."_

"We'll be there in five. Can you break out and assist Kirrahe?"

"_It won't be easy,_" Orlanis said.

The lift halted. Both Rana had evidently not tried anything, as Ganto had refrained from shooting her.

"Try," Kara ordered. She wondered just how few people she was sending the Turian to rescue. How many people had gone to their deaths at her command?

"You two," she continued, staring firmly at Rana and Ganto, "we're heading for pickup. Stay close and keep up. Tali, bring up the rear."

She led them out of the building, and along a raised walkway. A moderate headache made their slow-run difficult, as they headed north and west, towards the center of the base. The edge of the ocean washed right under the southwest corner of the base, with a long inlet beneath their feet. They crossed paths with a few Krogan, and dispatched them quickly.

As they grew close to the _Normandy_, the began to encounter Geth, few at first. She carefully rationed her strength, switching to her assault rifle and not using her biotics. It slowed them down, but it proved a wise decision; they soon began to encounter the AI platforms in greater numbers.

Captain Kirrahe had chosen the site for the bomb well. The plaza was centrally located, while helped insure the blast would destroy the entire base, and had limited access with good cover. Unfortunately, it also meant the approaches were easily guarded. The Geth knew they were coming, and though they were only eight, it was still more than she wanted to face at once, particularly with two large primes.

"Liara, were you trained in team biotics?" she asked, as the archeologist stopped beside her.

"You mean, like commando pairs? Yes, but I haven't-"

"I'm going to generate a static field in the middle of those Geth. Can you detonate it?"

Liara nodded, though she looked uncomfortable.

"Tali," Kara continued, motioning for the Quarian to join them. "After the biotic detonation, we'll have to charge them. We can't stay here. Liara and I will take on the Primes with a disruption field pair. I'll lead on the first."

Tali nodded. "Got it. I'm ready."

Kara turned back on the Geth, and concentrated on building a static field. A static field was simply a stable, invisible biotic field. It had no affect on anything outside its boundaries, which made it ideal for a stealthy opening blow. "Liara, now," Kara muttered.

A wave of blue light flashed across the scene, sending the Geth tumbling. One of them had shattered; the rest struggled to regain their feet. Kara charged.

She threw a disruption field at the first Prime. Its processors attempted to adjust, but followed up with a stabilizing field, solidifying the hole. They fired together, their repeated shots tearing open its robotic head.

As Liara took the lead on the second Prime, Tali used her EMP burst to disable one of the smaller Geth, shooting it with her pistol before it could recover.

Kara stabilized Liara's disruption field on the second Prime; a few seconds later, it too was down.

She used a biotic field to lift two the remaining Geth off the ground and, even though she felt light-headed, used another disruption field on one of the two robots still standing. A few quick shots and it was down. Liara held the other one in place with a mass-increasing field, while Tali blasted it with her shotgun. The two floating robots were easy enough to pick off with combined fire from their weapons.

Kara tore open one of her energy bars, as she waited for Rana and Ganto to catch up with them. The textured carbohydrates were dry and unpleasant as always, marginally better than the usual vile drink favored by Alliance biotics. They took longer to consume, and for her body to absorb, but her dizziness began to fade before they had to move.

She took point again, on the last stage of their journey. It was a relief to see the _Normandy_, clearly intact, as they entered the plaza. Ashley jumped from behind a crate in the cargo bay. "Kara, ma'am. Thank god. When the Geth stopped coming, I thought they were gathering for a final assault."

"Not quite," Kara smiled. "Is the bomb still safe?"

Ashley nodded. "We lost Handel, ma'am. I'm sorry. I heard he was a friend."

Kara closed her eyes. They had served together on the _Kyoto_, two years earlier. He had saved her life during the same pirate attack in which Captain Li made her XO, dragging her out of the decompressing cargo hold while she was still dazed by the explosion that breached the hull. They lost a lot of people, and very nearly the ship, surviving in part due to his assistance in patching the ship's systems. She had lost a competent marine and engineer, all at once; and yes, a friend. "Yeah. Look, get these two inside," she said, gesturing at her two unarmored charges. "Shadow Two, this is Shepard. We're at the drop site. Do you need assistance?"

"_We could use someone to clear the Geth off our backs,"_ Orlanis reported. "_Just head north from your position-you can't miss us._"

"Hold on," Kara replied, "we're on our-"

"Shepard!"

The resonant Turian voice took her by surprise, and she spun, aiming her pistol at the Turian former-Spectre. "Stand down, Saren."

He laughed. She had not expected him to agree.

"I know about Sovereign and the Reapers. Why are you helping them?"

The question appeared to give him pause, when it should have been an easy answer, even if dismissive. "The Reapers cannot be stopped, Shepard. All who oppose them will be utterly destroyed, like the Protheans before us, and a thousand civilizations before them. Only by cooperating can we hope to survive. If we prove ourselves useful to them, they will spare us."

She recalled Rana, and her belief about Saren's fears. "You opposed them once, didn't you?" she asked. "They won without a fight. The Council's most capable agent gave up without a fight."

"No!" he shouted, his grip tightening on his pistol. "Sovereign needs me. It can't Indoctrinate me; it needs me intact. The more influence it exerts, the weaker the subject becomes."

"If they need you, then you can hurt them," Kara asserted. She carefully generated a small disruption field inside his gun-just enough to force a misfire. "They can be stopped."

"No!" he screamed, throwing his weapon aside and charging.

It took Kara by surprise, but she had time to meet him with a carefully timed biotic field that muted the impact; and then they were fighting hand to hand. His eyes burned with anger. It lent him strength, but biotics required control. Skilled as he was, he couldn't hope to beat her.

As they fought, he struggled for focus. She could see it in his eyes, and the slow tightening of his forms. She pressed harder, trying to overwhelm him, but he fell back slowly, forcing to follow.

Then he went on the offensive. She stepped back, her foot catching on the edge of the cargo ramp, and fell.

The Turian pinned her face-down, deflecting the biotic field she attempted to use to throw him off, doubling her headache. He had picked up her assault rifle. Ashley and the others were busy fighting off another Geth attack.

Saren grinned. "Goodbye, Shepard."

Something struck him from behind. He rolled away, but Kara could hardly move from the pain. Thankfully, he fled under a hail of rifle fire.

"Thanks, Ash," she breathed, clutching at her head. She wasn't sure if she could stand.

"You'd better go. Orlanis is expecting you."

Kara did try to regain her feet, but movement only seemed to make the pain worse. "Can't," she muttered. "You go. Take Tali and Liara. I'll stay here."

Ashley frowned at her. "Okay," she said, switching on her comm. "Doctor Chakwas, Shepard needs you in the cargo bay."

Kara thought about protesting, but the dark-haired marine was already moving off, Liara and Tali following closely.

* * *

><p>... and the fallout waits 'till the next chapter. Again. Thanks for reading, thanks for reviewing, and if you haven't yet, the button is just below.<p> 


	15. Fallout

Five thousand nine hundred words. They keeping getting longer.

A bit about some Virmire choices; it struck me, while Kara was staring at the beacon, that she would worry about it knocking her out. The last one put her out for hours. And I was wondering how to do the Sovereign-conversation.

Saving Imness, or attempting to save him, was the logical thing to do, especially since I'd already established the use of suit-less shield generators(ch.2; not mentioned, but seen). Why tell him to run, when you could have him follow you out? Same deal with Rana.

What really annoyed me, however, was the way Bioware ignored the rest of your squad, and the _Normandy_'s marine complement, during Kirrahe's planning session. Why doesn't he ask for more of them? What about the Mako? Some of the could have made it to the bomb site in time to get picked up, while the Salarians and Ash/Kaiden could've gotten trapped on the tower.

Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER FIFTEEN<br>Fallout

Kara groaned. The last thing she recalled was protesting weakly as Karin sedated her. Ganto, despite his lack of armor, had taken her place, alongside the Salarian from Ashley's team, and probably did a better job of fighting the death, given her condition. She had forgotten just how much a reversed biotic attack could hurt, compounded by the experience with the beacon. Her head still ached faintly. Warm fingers brushed against her forehead, soft, and very human. "Kara? Are you awake?"

"Yes," she muttered back. She stretched, her limbs stiff, but thankfully free of pain. "What happened, Brynja?"

"You got in a fight with Saren. Doctor Chakwas says you're lucky the biotic feedback didn't kill you, so soon after another beacon encounter."

"I remember that," Kara said. "What about after?"

"We won," Brynja sighed unhappily. And victory tasted as bitter as defeat? That was something Kara knew well. "You should get up, and have something to eat. Then we can talk."

_Liara's dead_, she thought. She brushed it aside, but cold fear lingered in her gut. She forced herself to nod, not trusting her voice. It was always a mistake to get involved with people under your command, for that very reason. She had known better, but she still slipped.

"Good. Get dressed," Brynja smiled, undercut by the sadness in her eyes. She had lost one friend, at least. The young blond fled the room.

As soon as she was alone, Kara eyed her computer console. It would yield up all the information she desired, in cold, emotionless phrasing. It would be easier than seeing the pain she caused; comfortable. Except she didn't want to face it alone. Instead of dressing immediately, she gathered a clean set of clothes and headed for the showers. The small room, just aft of the mess, was empty, and she jammed the door.

She stripped out of the sweat-stained undersuit, and thrust in the cleaner, before stepping into the shower. She wished she could stand under the hot water for an hour, letting it wash away her headache, but water was a luxury on a starship, and she had just time to wet herself thoroughly, before shutting off the comforting stream to rub stock shampoo into her hair, and wipe her body with unscented soap. She rinsed just as quickly, then dried and dressed, all before ten minutes had passed.

She found Brynja waiting for her in the mess. A pair of Salarians occupied the far end of the table, a sign that not all of them had been left behind.

"Well?" She asked, settling herself in the chair beside the blond, along with a sizable plate of food.

"Captain Kirrahe said that things went well," Brynja said. "I guess I wouldn't know. He took command while you were out, which seemed like a good idea to me. Keyx protested, but I talked him down, and he left the bridge. Anyway, we left Virmire eight hours ago. There wasn't much left of the base, after the bomb went off."

"What about a casualty list?" Kara asked quietly.

Brynja laid a datapad on the table. "Kara, I know it's cliché, or something, but their lives... it was a small price."

Kara took the pad. The human dead were first. _Alenko, Kaiden._ An early human biotic, and an L2, like her. He suffered from occasional migraines, and endured Biotic Acclimation and Temperance Training, which he shut down by accidentally killing the renegade Turian hired to run the program. He never spoke of any family. She had drafted him into service as duty officer on third watch.

_Handel, Aaron_. Earthborn, Canada, as she recalled. He had two younger sisters, one of whom had a two year old daughter named Kara. _Not after you_, he joked. His mother was a diplomat, his father a chemist. Both were still alive. Kara had given him light engineering duties, in addition to his marine training.

_Johar, Ajuna_. A fair pilot and mechanic, who had agreed to light maintenance work, in addition to flying the _Normandy_ during third watch. While born on Earth, she grew up on Elysium. At the age of fifteen, she took up arms to defend the colony during the Blitz, and credited Kara for her survival. _You've always been my idol_. She had talked occasionally about an older brother, who served on a private freighter. Like Handel, she did some maintenance on the ship, but Kara, in the absence of trained starship pilots, had put her at the _Normandy_'s helm during third watch.

_Shih, Baojia_. A spacer, from a military family going back several generations. Like Kara, he had grown up on Arcturus Station, though they had never met. He had a twin brother, who disdained the Service, and was studying physics on Earth. His mother had served as an engineer aboard various frigates, but was killed in a pirate attack. His father captained a cruiser. He spoke of an occasional dream to become a musician, though could never decide on an instrument. Recently, he had favored the flute. He was one of three marines who had not taken up extra duties when Kara took command.

_Tau, Sonam_. Confident and charming. She was another colonist, this time from Terra Nova, where her family made a living as farmers. She had joined the Alliance to experience the universe, and found herself disappointed. She enthusiastically embraced the non-human additions to the _Normandy_'s crew, but always regarded Liara with suspicion. She had a younger brother, ten years her junior, who lived and worked with their parents. Like Baojia, she was infantry, with no technical training or biotics.

Five dead. That left her with a total of three marines; Aoki Sayuri, Zouhir Rabeh, and Ashley Williams. She scanned for other names she recognized, but found none. All of Orlanis' CSec team had survived, as had Garrus, Wrex, Tali and Liara. She sighed with relief, but it was short lived. Only five Salarians had reached the _Normandy_, out of the sixteen that made up Kirrahe's two teams. She read through the list of dead carefully.

She set the pad down, along with her fork. Brynja's arm slid around her shoulder, and she let herself be pulled in. Kara let her tears flow freely; there was nothing wrong in a captain showing emotion in front of her crew, or weakness. She did not desire to be seen as anything other than she was.

"Doctor Chakwas says that all the injured will survive. Auran took a bullet in the chest, and that's about the worst. Sayuri lost a leg. The rest got away with small stuff, or didn't make it out."

"Anything else?" she whispered.

"We hit the Relay just ahead of Sovereign, and I'm sure Saren made it out."

They sat together for ten minutes, before Kara pulled away. She placed a kiss on Brynja's cheek as she did. "Thanks."

"I... yeah," Brynja muttered, continuing in a cool tone; "Finish eating, Kara. Then go see Doctor Eke. He'll want to check up on you."

Kara sighed. She didn't want to face the crew. Hiding sounded better, and she had a report for the Council to piece together, but showing weakness and neglecting her duties were two different things. She would see to the crew first, then write the report.

* * *

><p>Kara endured Ehigha's tests quietly. He was in a low mood, silent and unsmiling, not entirely unlike her own. Even after he had finished, dismissing her with a terse, "You'll be fine," she remained seated on the bed, watching him in silence. He frowned at her, and finally broke down. "Do you have a minute to talk, Captain?"<p>

"Take all the time you need," she replied.

"We lost a lot of people back there. Good people, who backed you when it would've been easier to walk away. How do you deal with that?"

Badly? There was no alcohol on the _Normandy_, even had she intended to repeat the aftermath of Elysium. She had stopped before it became more than a brief slide backwards on what was, she believed, an otherwise upward trajectory. "You just do," she said softly. She had lost subordinates after Elysium, on Torfan and the _Kyoto_, and just picked herself up and moved on, because what else was there? "Ehigha, I don't believe in carrying the weight of the dead. We make our decisions, and we accept the consequences. I'm more concerned about the survivors."

"Is that it? You just turn away and walk on?" he asked, his dark eyes narrowed angrily. His voice remained a strained whisper, in an effort to not disturb the unconscious Turian on the far bed.

Kara sighed. "This is about your own pain, isn't it?"

"God dammit, sir, we just left them behind."

"_A single memory has more worth than a thousand bodies_," Kara recited. The phrase was Quarian, and she spoke it in their tongue. Before they lost Rannoch to the Geth, they had interned their dead in crypts, carved into the cliffs outside their cities. The realities of exile did not allow for such traditions, and so they reluctantly took to recycling their corpses, using them to fertilize the crops on their liveships. Most people outside the Flotilla considered it horrific, but it was simply life; the end, feeding back into the beginning.

The marines lost on Virmire, and the STG soldiers who fell beside, were nothing but dust, now; their remains forever inseparable from the ashes of the base. Nothing but memories. "I'd like you to prepare the service for them."

"Me, sir?" Ehigha asked. "Shouldn't that be your job?"

It was actually the job of the ship's chaplain, but he had left when she took command. He had served third watch as a nurse, or she would not have missed him at all. As captain, the role did fall to her, but she considered herself unqualified; she knew more about Quarian beliefs than she did her mother's Christianity, and her knowledge of humanity's other dominant religions was even worse. "I think it would do you more good."

Ehigha shook his head, and sat on the second bed. His anger had turned into annoyance, and he seemed to be searching for the right thing to say; but finally he laughed. "I should know better than to argue with you." He sighed, his brief smile fading. "Hell, you don't even argue. You just sit, and help us argue with ourselves. It's infuriating. I wish I could do it."

Elementary tactics; choose your battlefield, and know your opponent. It worked as effectively with words as it did with guns, and resulted in fewer dead.

"I know I'm not your type, but you're amazing, sir, and I don't mean how you fight. I mean, you started this mission by pissing off your most likely ally, and you managed to turn it to your advantage," Ehigha continued, looking down at his hands as he idly rubbed his palm. "I don't know what I'm trying to say."

"There's no need," Kara muttered. She certainly didn't like where it was going-either embarrassingly unabashed hero worship, or a painfully vapid 'wouldn't it be better if...'.

"Yes, there is. I've gotten to know more non-humans since you took command than in fifteen years service with the Alliance. I don't like them all, but I find I can understand them. You brought them here, and you're holding this crew together. I think that's pretty special, when you consider that most of them don't really trust us humans."

"Oh. Thank you," Kara tried. It felt like the first honest compliment she'd received in ages.

Ehigha smiled again, and this time the expression lingered. "Excuse me, sir. I should check on Auran," he said, rising to his feet.

Kara nodded. She had other duties to attend to, as well.

* * *

><p>"You should have seen it, Kara," Sayuri smiled, her eyes slightly distant. Her right leg ended mid-thigh, an inexplicable, empty space on a woman who had always seemed so full. "It was perfect. The Salarians were in the lead, when the Colossus rounded the corner ahead of us. They all went for cover. Kaiden ordered me to lend assistance, while the rest of his team kept a watch on our rear.<p>

"We tried teaming up with the, ah, _Ke'val_, at first, but we couldn't seem to breach its shields. Kaliran tried to use her biotics, but we couldn't get a shot through before it compensated. When we heard that multiple Geth were coming in from behind, I knew we had take it out. So I pointed the Mako at it, and threw on full power in. I tried to get Ajuna to bail, but she wouldn't go. She just kept firing, picking off as many Geth as she could.

"As we closed the last few meter, I fired the rear control thrusters, and we hit the Colossus top-first. Somehow we managed to drive it back just enough to block the main route from the Geth barracks, or whatever you call the place, but the Mako's cabin was crushed. Ajuna was dead, and my leg almost torn off. The eezo core had taken damage, and was about to go up. Thankfully, Ehigha got to me before it did. Captain Kirrahe said I was the only reason any of us got away, so I guess I'd call this a fair trade," she sighed, patting her leg just above the cut. "Wrex says it makes me look hot, which doesn't help as much as you'd think."

"I suppose not," Kara admitted. She had tracked the Japanese marine down in the cargo hold, sitting on a crate and staring at the Mako's former place. The Salarian's vehicle sat there instead, its smooth lines a stark contrast to the bulky tank it had replaced. She wondered if Kirrahe would consider letting her keep it, or even staying on himself. "Has Ilan'ne showed you around the _Ke'val_?"

"Yeah. Doctor Chakwas said I'm to rest, so I had to beg. He ran some VI simulations for me, and wow. I dropped from orbit onto a high-G world, and hit a half-meter target, dodging AA fire on the way down, dropped off a ground team, and flew back to the deployment ship. Danced rings around a Turian heavy tank, and got my ass shot off when I tried to face it head-on. You know how Joker talks about the _Normandy_? It's like that."

"Rapturous?"

"Transcendental," Sayuri grinned. The expression shined like a sun breaking through heavy grey clouds, and faded as quickly. "I'll never forget when we first met. Karol and I thought we were going to die in that cell, and he was being an ass about it. 'You think some fucking admiral cares about us fucking grunts, Aoki? Shit. The Alliance is gonna role over these fuckers, and we'll be the fucking first to die. Probably fucking rape us first, though. Fuck.' The homophobic prick. Then you showed up, and walked through our guards like they weren't even there. Karol asked you what you were doing there, and you said-"

"Disobeying orders," Kara said. She recalled the incident with a sense of pride she had never felt for Elysium. The only person who had ever given her anything for her actions that day was sitting beside her, almost five years later, while Private Karol's name turned up on a casualty list five days after the rescue. Her CO, Commander Battur, had wanted to discipline her, but Mission Command quietly overruled him. Two days later, she shot him in the shoulder to save a set of Batarian prisoners; Sayuri defended her before the resulting tribunal.

"You were so unconcerned. Some things never change," Sayuri smirked. She sighed, and continued; "I know we were never the best of friends, but I trusted-trust you. From the moment I realized that you came to rescue us against orders. It may take time, and more than a few bad jokes, but I will accept my loss."

"You know I'll help how I can."

"I think we could all use some leave," the marine suggested. "Other than that, I've got friends here. We'll manage."

Kara nodded. She wouldn't mind a few days off, though a chance to read reports at a resort somewhere, rather than in a cramped cabin, was the best she could expect. "Very well."

* * *

><p>"Captain Shepard," Sevis Kirrahe nodded, as she approached him on the bridge. "We're eight hours past the Sentry Omega relay, on route to Council space. The ship is in good condition, though I've been supplementing your crew the survivors of my unit."<p>

Kara nodded; she'd heard it mentioned by the crew, which had gotten used to working alongside Tali and Garrus, and Liara to a lesser extent, and didn't take the addition of some STG officers as much surprise. "About that, Captain. After the losses we took on Virmire, I no longer have enough personnel to run this ship. I've only two people who can fly it, not enough experienced command officers, and engineering was already short-handed."

"You want me to stay on? In what role?"

"As first officer. You'd be responsible for the _Normandy_ when I'm away, as well as third watch duty officer. Ilan'ne would take the helm on third-watch, and fly the _Ke'val_ on missions. The rest of your men to supplement the engineering crew, or train with my remaining marines."

The STG officer smiled. "Your request is not unexpected. I checked the Council's orders, and they could be interpreted as placing us at your command until Saren is brought in."

"The choice is yours, Sevis. I've extended the same offer to Orlanis, but I won't make it an order."

He nodded. "The STG gives its field operatives a great deal of freedom in fulfilling their orders, and mine are to uncover and disrupt Saren's operations. We'll assist you."

"I appreciate it. What happened to that Asari scientist, Rana?"

"What fool designs an infiltration frigate without a proper brig, Shepard?" he sighed. "She's locked in a sleeper pod, at present. Williams' suggestion. Orlanis has arranged to keep two guards on her for the rest of the day, when she'll be kept in the mess."

Kara shuddered at the thought. Sleeper pods could be cramped enough even for those who were in them willingly. If someone locked her in one, she could see herself clawing her hands bloody as she tried to break out. "No locks, Sevis, and one guard. She gets a chance to prove herself."

"I'll make the arrangements."

Kara nodded. "Good."

"You should inform Lieutenant Demas. He was unenthusiastic when I took command, and I would prefer to avoid another incident."

* * *

><p>Kara found her former XO in the training room, running through his daily exercises on the equipment. She had never gotten a taste for 'working out'. She preferred the challenge of sparring, or the mental discipline of <em>Vanan Ithal<em>; things that occupied the mind and body. Setting aside her biotics, Keyx could probably lift more weight than she, butoOn a modern battlefield, strength mattered less than reflexes and endurance.

"Captain, ma'am," he said, between upper-arm exercises.

"Keyx," she replied. "We need to talk. About Kirrahe."

"You left command of the ship to me. He had no right to take over." His jaw clenched, his arms jerking harder.

"It was a combat situation, and he had superior experience. It was a prudent decision, which would have been even better had he an XO who knew the ship."

The weights dropped with a clank, and remained still. "Sorry, ma'am?"

"Your job was to advice the commanding officer, and to relay his orders. You shouldn't have left the bridge."

"Yes, ma'am." The weights moved again, as he threw himself angrily against the levers.

Kara sighed. "I know you're inexperienced, and you've done well otherwise. Kirrahe is taking over as first officer."

He stopped again. "What is your problem with humans? What, you don't see it? Every time we make a stop, we pick up another group of aliens. Turians and Asari on Citadel; Salarians on Virmire. There are seventeen humans on this ship, and eighteen aliens. You gave Garrus a watch on the bridge, and Tali'Zorah has her own engineering team. As soon as the Council gave you Orlanis, you put her in charge of the marines. Now Kirrahe. Are you noticing a pattern?"

Kara stood in silence, her eyes fixed on Keyx's. She had anticipated his objecting to an apparent demotion, but not this. She should have. Her impression was that the human crew had largely accepted her decisions. Her appointments were not arbitrary, filling gaps left by missing human crew, but the entire mission had required some improvisation. Keyx himself had only been the junior navigation officer, in charge of third watch; not ready for the XO's job in the eyes of the Alliance. She had given him a chance, because there was no one-human or no-better suited for the role.

"So this is just me being upset at a demotion? Or are you accusing me of being a xenophobe?"

"Are you?"

"Yes! I mean, no," Keyx groaned. "I felt like you trusted me. You told me what you wanted done, and then let me do it, so maybe I am taking this as a sign that I failed you somehow. Did I?"

"No," Kara told him. "Kirrahe had his own ship. I can't expect him to be satisfied with running third watch, knowing that an inexperienced human will take over from him if anything interesting happens. You'll still have the bridge during first watch, and he'll only interfere if something comes up."

"I'm still not happy about this," he said, "but maybe it'll grown on me. I did say humanity needed more joint projects, right?"

"It was never my intention to make this crew into a cross-cultural experiment. I just need it work," she shrugged. "Yet it seems I need only a Batarians or two to complete the set." Though that statement, in truth, neglected a number of other species; the Elcor and Volus, the Hanar and their Drell clients, the Vorcha, and a few others.

"Tell me that was a joke, ma'am," Keyx stated dryly.

Kara laughed. "Mostly, though I met Kleth Bin'Tal when he was living on the Citadel. He's a good person, and not so different from the average Batarian. You can't judge them by the rhetoric of the Hegemony, any more than you can judge a human by the Alliance's. I won't refuse any help, even if it is politically inconvenient."

"You should think more about appearances, ma'am."

"I'll think about it," Kara said. She had cultivated an unkempt image, but it was in part her natural state, co-opted as a statement against certain social expectations, in particular the well-groomed, feminine woman. He was talking about something else entirely, a level of propaganda with which she had never been comfortable, and did not wish to engage in. It was one reason why she had avoided interviews after the Blitz.

* * *

><p>"<em>You... are not Saren.<em>"

The glowing red hologram filled the Comm Room's main display. An elongated body, its head marked by segmented tentacles, and a pair of tiny eyes. Three more tentacles, like legs, were attacked on either side of its body. It was a miniature version of Saren's dreadnaught, Sovereign.

"Are you some sort of VI?" Tali's voice was clear, filtered only by the translator. It was her suit camera which had recorded the conversation. Kara could see herself, slumped next to the Prothean beacon, in the background. Liara was leaning over her.

"_Rudimentary creature of blood and flesh. You touch Our mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding._"

"I do not think that is a VI," Liara observed.

"_There is a realm of existence so far beyond your own you cannot even imagine it. We are beyond your comprehension. We are Sovereign._"

"Sovereign? That's Saren's ship. How can-wait, you're a Reaper," Liara breathed.

"_Reaper. A title given by the Protheans to give voice to their destruction. What they chose to call Us is irrelevant. We simply are._"

"Weren't the Protheans destroyed fifty thousand years ago?" Tali asked, her head turning to follow the Liara, as the Asari circled the console.

"_Organic life is nothing but a genetic mutation, an accident. Your pitiful existence is measured in years and decades. You wither and die. We are eternal, the pinnacle of evolution and existence. Before Us, you are nothing. We have no beginning, and no end. We are infinite. Millions of years after your civilization has been eradicated and forgotten, We will endure. Your extinction is inevitable. We are the end of everything_."

Tali's head turned back to the hologram. "We'll stop you," she insisted, her voice more terrified than confident. Kara couldn't blame her.

"_Confidence born of ignorance. The cycle cannot be broken._"

"So it is true," Liara interrupted. "The Protheans were not the first, and did not construct the Relays."

"_No. The pattern has repeated more times than you can fathom. Organic civilization rise, evolve, advance. And at the apex of their glory, they are extinguished. The Protheans did not create the Citadel. They did not forge the Mass Relays. They merely found them, the legacy of my kind_."

"That doesn't make any sense," Tali muttered. "Why leave that kind of technology lying around for us to find?"

"_Your civilization is based upon the technology of the Mass Relays. Our technology. By using it, your society develops along the path we desire. We impose order on the chaos of organic evolution. You exist because We allow it; you will end because We demand it._"

Tali looked at Liara. The Asari's blue eyes were wide with fear as she spoke; "You're harvesting us? Letting us evolve to the level you need, then wiping us out? Why?"

"_My kind transcends your very understanding. We are each a nation, independent, free of all weakness; and We are legion. The time of Our return is coming. Our numbers will darken the sky of every world. You cannot escape your doom._"

"Shepard," Tali said, as though the name alone were an inspiration; "Kara brought us together to stop Saren. She'll unite the galaxy against you."

The young Quarian's faith was touching, but Kara could not help but feel it was misplaced. How could they defeat the enemy that had eradicated nearly every trace of the Prothean Empire?

"_Your words are as empty as your future. We are the vanguard of your destruction. This exchange is over._"

The console exploded in a shower of sparks. Kara paused the replay, and reversed several seconds. Sovereign's image again dominated the display. For every question the conversation answered, it added at least a dozen more. She did not believe the rhetoric; nothing was infinite, indestructible, or unknowable. Someone had created the Reapers, and they had done so for a reason. Someone else could destroy them.

The trouble, of course, was that Kara had no means of measuring their strength. That the Citadel and the Relays were beyond even Asari technology said little about the Reapers themselves. How strong were their barriers? What kind of weapons did they have? Could a standard dreadnaught destroy Sovereign? Or would something like the Destiny Ascension be required? Or a fleet? What kind of tactics were effective?

"_Captain, the Council is ready to speak with you,_" Brynja informed her over the comm, interrupting her spiraling thoughts.

"Put them through," Kara replied. It had taken her two days, to get everything she wanted into her report, while the _Normandy_ lingered within range of the comm network, awaiting a destination. Sovereign has passed them, unaware of their presence, which at least revealed the effectiveness of their stealth systems.

Sovereign disappeared, its unfriendly image replaced by the familiar faces of the Council. They had, she guessed, just finished discussing her report, including a summary of what she had seen on Virmire, and the footage from Tali's camera. "Kara," began Adar Tevos, her dark eyes worried, though her voice remained calm. "I wanted to express my sympathy for your losses. We added our personal regrets to the letters you included. They are being sent out as we speak."

"Thank you," Kara nodded. "They were friends. I find myself reminded how much I hate this job."

"We all wish the galaxy was a more peaceful place, Captain," Sparatus said. "I'm sorry. However, we need to discuss these Reapers. Do you have any further information about them?"

"No," Kara sighed. "I am convinced that the vision from the Prothean beacons is a warning against the Reapers, but the images are still blurred; fragmented. It may contain information on how to stop them."

Valern frowned. "You understand there's nothing we can do without more information, yes? The STG's analysts have already begun work on the data your team recovered from Saren's base. It may take some time. The STG will be sent in to investigate where appropriate, but your skills may be required, as well as your... discretion."

Kara wondered what he meant by that. No amount of discretion could have destroyed a hardened and garrisoned installation.

"There is something we'd like you to do, while we wait," Adar said, her annoyed glance at Valern not missed by the Salarian. "We have confirmed reports of Geth presence in the Armstrong Cluster, not far from your present location. They have exhibited signs of atypical behavior."

Kara brushed her fingers through her hair. It would mean no shore leave, and more stress for her and the crew. Her first instinct was to refuse, but then she thought of Tali. She had promised the young Quarian a spectacular pilgrimage gift, and she kept her promises.

It was also the last thing she wanted; her unwillingness to accept the role of a Spectre had already faded, and here she was considering expanding her efforts to include not just Saren, but the Geth. _We'll never run out of crises to be solved, each more dire than the last, each new enemy more irredeemably evil. I've seen it happen before, and know what it can justify. No, I'm going to walk away. I've every faith the galaxy will manage without me. _"No. That's not part of my mission."

"Kara, please. We're asking you to investigate their activity, not destroy them. We know next to nothing about their evolution since the Geth-Quarian war. We do not even know if they are all working with Saren. Consider this a mission of understanding." The Asari matriarch smiled, as though she knew she had already won.

Kara sighed. "Fine, but we need to have a talk about my future as a Spectre. If you want me to stay on after Saren is defeated, there are things to set straight. Now."

"Shepard," Sparatus asked, his mandibles flaring in irritation. "Are you dictating terms? To us?"

"Yes," Kara smirked. She almost hoped they would refuse, and let her get on with her life. "I am."

* * *

><p>Kara paused in the mess to fill her electric thermos with water, already planning a cup of tea, and to briefly greet the off-duty crew, before retreating to her quarters. The last few days had been long and tense, but the crew had started to accept their losses on Virmire, and they were on their way to the Armstrong Cluster, so she finally had a moment or two to relax.<p>

She sealed and locked the door behind her, before breathing a sigh of relief. Alone, and free to do as she wished.

"Kara. We need to talk."

She wheeled about. "What are you doing here, Liara?" she demanded of the young Asari sitting calmly at her desk.

"You've been avoiding me," Liara noted. "And, as I said, we need to talk." She was right.

Kara sighed. Any chance of relaxation had disappeared, it seemed. "I'm sorry."

"For kissing me, or for avoiding me?"

"Both. Neither," Kara said. She proceeded to prepare her tea, attempting to collect her thoughts as she did. The kiss had been mild, just lips, and no hands seeking intimate places, but it had been a special moment. The point in time where she had gone from thinking of Liara as an attractive friend to a potential romantic partner; not merely a chance for sex, which she found easy to ignore, but for love.

"Liara, the kiss was good. I'd like to try for great, but I shouldn't have done it. I'm sorry."

"Kara, I followed your orders on Virmire, even when it meant leaving you at the _Normandy._ I was terrified. I knew the Geth could find you, and were not in any shape to resist, and I know a biotic reversal like that can be fatal, but I still went. I can handle this." She took Kara's cup, and sipped at the steaming liquid. "This seems familiar," she muttered.

"It's from Armali," Kara said. Liara's records stated that she had grown up in that region of Thessia. She tried not to think of what its subtly sweet taste would be like, lingering on the Asari's soft, dark blue lips. "I'm not sure I can."

The Asari stood, somehow catching Kara's hand in hers. Warm skin, the texture subtly not human, and fingers entwined with her own. "I do not intend to miss my first chance at real love for fear of loss," she breathed, moving slowly closer.

Kara was backed against the desk, and had no will to escape. She had a weakness for bold moves from shy women, or Asari. "Liara..."

"Yes?"

Warm breath tickled her neck. She felt final defeat closing; there were some odds that even the Heroine of Elysium couldn't beat. "... _just kiss me_," she whispered, the smooth syllables of the Asari's native tongue falling from her lips. Liara obliged, again gently, and Kara did not press for more. Despite her body's growing arousal, she wan't ready for sex, not with someone she cared about. There would be time enough for that. She even let Liara pull away.

"There is something else, Kara, about the mission. Maybe it's a foolish idea, but if we were to meld, I might be able to understand your visions. Maybe that's why Saren sent the Geth to capture me."

"So that's what this is about," Kara said, lowering her head. "I'm just a Prothean relic to be studied."

"No, I-" Liara began, halting abruptly as she realized Kara was teasing her. Spending time around Sayuri must have helped her sense of humor. "You didn't think I was interested in your body?"

Kara laughed softly. She had joined with an Asari once before, and it was a powerful experience, one part of her longed to repeat, but she didn't feel ready to join with Liara. "If you think it will help the mission."

Liara nodded, and led her to the narrow bed. They sat facing one another, and the Asari placed her hand on Kara's cheek.

The world around them seemed to slow; and everything fell away.

* * *

><p>I've been avoiding the next chapter for some time... Not sure what will happen with it. Be patient it if takes a while.<p>

The review button is still right below. If you're enjoying this story, leave a review. We enjoy reading them, even the short ones. Thanks again to everyone who already has, and those who are going to.


	16. The Maiden

Well, so I managed to say what I wanted, maybe. Glossary at the bottom; you'll need it. The theme for this chapter is; _you can't say what you don't have a word for_.

I probably shouldn't bother responding at all to S058's drive-by review. As a general rule for critics; don't begin with gendered violence. I have no patience for it, and it will generally prevent me from taking anything you say seriously. (For those of you wondering what I'm talking about, the desire to 'bitchslap Kara' was something of a 'get back in the kitchen!' moment.)

Update 12/10: Section Three added: Temple of Athame. Asari history rewritten to not include Prothean meddling. My reasons for this:

-Fifty thousand years is far too much time to have between invention of writing/math and industrial civilization.  
>-Bioware effectively wrote off every single Asari innovation as Prothean in origin. So… you're saying that they needed the help of space<em>men<em>? Patriarchy much? You could say this is unjustified, on my part, but as all of the representatives of the Protheans we see are male(Vigil; Vendetta; Javik; Javik's VI), it really is.  
>-It was a bad idea from the beginning.<p>

* * *

><p>CHAPTER SIXTEEN<br>_The Maiden_

_Dark soil passed through her small fingers, gritty and moist, and disappointingly free of anything more interesting than a few bugs. Liara frowned. She had expected to find something. She'd been so sure an afternoon of patient labor would yield results. Perhaps she needed to dig deeper. Squatting in her small hole, she could still see over the edge, into the waist-high grasses, the thin reddish stalks mixed with shorted, bluer varieties. The patch of native grassland in central Armali had seemed a much more sensible place to start her expedition than the well-kept upper portion of the park, filled with benches and strolling Asari._

_"_Liara? There you are_."_

_Liara looked up at the _suréathe, _rubbing her nose with the back of her hand. The elder Asari's expression changed from concern to amusement._

_"_You are filthy, little wing._" She knelt in the grass, beside the hole. "_What are you doing down there?_"_

_"_Looking for arti—arti—_"_

_"_Artifacts? I see._"_

_Liara frowned. "_I'm gonna try digging deeper,_" she stated firmly._

_"_That's adorable, Liara,_" her _kerta _smiled, "_but you really shouldn't be digging up the community garden. I'm sure it's all been explored already._"_

_Liara nodded solemnly. "_Yes, kerta."

"Besides," _the Asari stated, helping her out of the hole with a strong hand. "_Now you need a bath."

* * *

><p><em>The Thessian sky was a clear, pale blue. Liara stared upward, taking in the familiar, gorgeous color, and breathing in the cold winter air. She drove every detail into her memory; the taste of the air, and sounds of parting, the tears and the voices. How the cold crept beneath her clothes and tingled against her skin. She had spent almost all of her sixty-seven years on her people's homeworld, and the thought of leaving it was proving more difficult than she expected. It was not her first time, of course; her <em>kerta _had taken her to Palaven, and they had visited some of the colonies together. Just five years ago she had spent a year at a dig in Salarian space, unearthing Prothean artifacts._

_This was different. She had secured support from the Archeology Board at the Calissanar of Serrice to investigate a the ruins of a Prothean outpost in the Terminus systems, a dangerous region of space. They had prepared a shuttle and supplies, both of which awaited her at a transfer station in orbit. This would be her dig; living out of a cramped shuttle, eating dried food and reprocessed water as she painstakingly searched the remains of a lost civilization for clues as to who they were and how they died. Fascinating, to be sure, but she would be alone, and she did not know how long it would take. She didn't know when she might make it home._

_She supposed that it made her _Yashandril_; a Maiden. The _kenanda _grown up, and prepared to face the universe. She took a deep breath. Well, maybe not prepared, but she was not about to let a little trepidation keep her from studying one of the enduring mysteries of the galaxy._

* * *

><p><em>Liara's gaze crossed the elegant spires of Serrice. The sprawling city was generally accepted as the capital of Thessia and the loose interstellar republic, though that reflected a poor understanding of Asari society. They needed no center of authority, no <em>satharii _or government to dictate their actions. That didn't make the city any less beautiful, the style exotic to her Armali-raised sensibilities._

_"_The tour is about to start, Liara_," her _kerta _said, coming up behind her. "_Shall we go in?_"_

_Liara turned. The Temple of Athame, a building thousands of years old, rose out of an open plaza. It had once been the dominant religion on Thessia, but in the years since most Asari had adopted a vague pantheism when they expressed any faith at all. Now the dated architecture housed a museum to the ancient faith, rather than a place of worship. "_Alright._"_

_The main hall was dominated by three stone figures. The first, naked, her head raised and arms raised and her legs mid-stride, represented the _satharii_'s _yashandril _stage. The second, full with child, clothed in a loose tunic, was the _eskareta _aspect. The third, smiling down at the living Asari gathered at her feet, was the _suréathe_. The wandering maiden, seeking knowledge, the benevolent matron, and the wise matriarch dispensing wisdom. Modern worshippers said her three aspects represented the three ages of civilization; primitive and isolated youth, followed by the matron, who gave birth to galactic civilization in the form of the Council, and the elder civilization that guided it in prosperity and peace. It was a distasteful idea for anyone who believed in a society of equals._

_As the tour began, she mostly kept apart from her _kerta_. _Suréathe _Benezia T'Soni was widely respected, a leader and philosopher, which made Liara proud, but she did not like how the attention reflected upon her. It was inappropriate, and uncomfortable._

_They began with the earliest artifacts, painted stone tablets some eight thousand years old. Though worn and cracked, the images were still intriguing, ranging from a detailed depiction of Athame-_eskareta _giving birth to the world, to her elder aspect instructing small Asari-figures in primitive clothes. Another showed Athame-_yashandril_, her head thrown back in ecstasy as a dark figure pressed against her—the supposed origin of the _Ardat Yakshi_. The dark figure, the _setharii_'s adversary, was never named, though she would reappear several times in the legends._

_Other relics from the religion's origins included clay tablets, inscribed with a variation of early-modern scripts, which told an early version of Athame's story, much altered as time passed. According to the guide, she began as one of several _setharii_, the leader of a council, and gradually took on the aspects of the others, until only she remained. The clay tablets were also around eight thousand years old, and one of the earliest examples of written language on Thessia._

_History taught that the Asari had first taken up writing about nine thousand years ago. Like many inventions and ideas, it spread across Thessia in the minds of _yashandril_, and in less than five hundred years had become common practice in communities across the planet. Arithmetic followed the same pattern, at around the same time, just as agriculture and domestication of animals had in an earlier age. The sharing of populations and ideas had a place in early codes of law, preventing critical formation of concepts such as race and tribe, which had plagued the civilizations of Palaven and Tuchanka since the beginning._

_Without a firm cultural basis for conflict between opposing groups, wars were far more difficult to sustain. When a soldier could look across a battlefield and see the faces of family, it became almost impossible. They still happened, when the distribution of a disputed resource could not be equitably agreed upon, but rarely went beyond a few minor skirmishes before an agreement was reached, or a ruler deposed. _

_It was in this environment that Asari commando tactics were developed. Wars did not become unpopular so quickly when they were fought between a score of professional warriors. At times, an entire campaign could be fought and won with but a single death on the field. It was not until the industrial era when, as communication increased, real war became a threat again._

_Concepts of church and state were at the center of that conflict, mutually supporting in many instances. The priestesses of Athame liked to insist that the goddess herself appointed Thessia's rulers. Several other religions did the same, but each looked to someone different. Secular leaders arose as well, demanding obedience to combat the authority of the churches._

_Thankfully, the era passed. Tens of thousands of Asari were killed in the sprawling conflict, until—finally—as the people of Thessia prepared to explore the galaxy, they won. From then on, their society and economy would both be built from the bottom up._

* * *

><p><em>"Kerta," Liara said, pausing in the office doorway. A breeze through the open window carried with the scent of mixed flowers, blooming in the gardens outside.<em>

_"_Liara_," the elder Asari said, a smile crossing her solemn features. She rose gracefully from her simple wooden chair. She was dressed in her usual style, a formal shirt, soft yellow and sleeveless, held closed with decorated clasps. The hem hung down over her upper thighs, hiding the waistband on her blue trousers, only slightly darker than her skin. A pair of brown slip-on shoes sat under the desk, but her feet were bare. "_I'd like you see this_."_

_"_I—" _Liara tried. Satharii, but she hardly knew where to begin. Didn't know what to say, what to think. How to explain to her widely-respected mother that she wanted a different path for herself. She didn't want the attention, or the demands._

_"_What is it?_"_

_"_I have enrolled at the Calissanar of Serrice, _kerta," Liara said slowly. It was the only way she could get them out at all. "_I'm going to become an archeologist._"_

_"_Still the Protheans, little wing?_"_

Always the Protheans_, Liara smiled. For whatever reason, they had ignited her passion when she was a small child, digging for relics in the community garden. The ancient lost civilization, the precursors who had left them the infrastructure of interstellar life. What were they like; how did they live; and most of all, where did they go? Despite nearly three thousand years of searching, the answers were still hidden. Out there, somewhere, waiting for someone—maybe her—to find. "_Yes_."_

_Benezia slumped back in her chair. For a moment her eyes on Liara were distant, remembering, perhaps, Liara's ilatra, who had departed the Martriach's life before their daughter was even born. She had never spoken of the unnamed Asari, not even revealing her name._

_Mostly, Liara was content with this silence. Many young Asari knew only their kerta, for a variety of reasons. That didn't stop her from collecting hints, however unconsciously they were dropped._

_"_You are barely forty, Liara. There are decades left in which you can decide._"_

_Decades she could spend immersed in the study of Prothean relics. What was left to decide? "_It's done, _kerta_. I have to live my own life._"_

_"_Yes,_" Benezia sighed. "_Time to accept that my little wing is ready to fly away."

* * *

><p><em>"So the baby azure is alone," the Turian grinned, her mandibles flaring with disturbing cheer. Her armor was pitted and scarred, and missing several plates, but the assault rifle she aimed steadily in Liara's direction looked large and quite dangerous.<em>

_Liara had started out terrified, but she found anger at the Turian's insult to be an excellent counter. She struggled to clear her mind and recall her commando training._

_There were only two pirates facing her now, though their ship was large enough to carry a number of others. They were armed and armored, while she wore a dirt-smudged jacket over a plain shirt, and had not even a pistol. At least she had worn her amp, not knowing when she might need biotics to shift a piece of a collapsed structure._

_The second pirate, a Batarian, had cleaner, and more complete, armor. If she could disable him for long enough to take out the Turian, then she stood a chance. Unfortunately, his shields protected him from anything she could think of._

_Except… his weapon. She had once learned how to disrupt the mass effect generators inside small arms. It was a fairly complicated technique, and she did not have as much practice as she would have liked. She ignored the Turian's shouted threats, but she just needed a moment more…_

_"Hands in the air, azure. Now!"_

_Liara hit the Turian female with a biotic field that punched straight through her archaic shields, lifting her off the ground with an angry shout, then flung her away, in the opposite direction from the pirate's ship, and potential reinforcements._

_The Batarian laughed. "I always hated that bossy _gavokth_." That didn't stop him from raising his weapon and firing. The rifle sheered a fragment from its ammo block, and attempted to activate its eezo core._

_The core, interacting with the biotic fields she'd bound it in, backfired, multiplying rather than reducing the weight of the shard, stressing the mass accelerators past the point of overheating as they attempted to launch a mass a hundred times what it was designed to handle. The weapon bleeped in protest, venting clouds of coolant as it attempted to prevent the meltdown and detonation of the core. "What the—?"_

_Liara hit him in the face with a biotic-enhanced punch, knocking him off his feet. She snatched his sidearm, and kicked his weapon out of reach, but… Satharii. She had never killed anyone before. If she knocked him out and left him, what would she do with him when he woke up? What about the other pirates? She couldn't keep them all prisoners, but, if she killed a few, the rest might flee. Or try for revenge._

_She closed her eyes, and pulled the trigger. The Batarian died with a wet thump. What other choice did she have?_

* * *

><p><em>The redheaded woman approached Liara slowly. There was something compelling about her, beyond the basic Asari-like appearances of human females. The unconscious grace of her movements, the soft smile that curved her narrow lips. The depth of her green eyes, devoid of the anger that burned there on Therum. Despite beating a Krogan in hand-to-hand combat, she managed to appear utterly unthreatening.<em>

_"_How are you feeling, Liara?_" The movement of her lips matched the soft-spoken syllables. Surely she knew that Liara's translator had been updated from the _Normandy_'s database?_

_"_I am well, Kara," _Liara said. Was that too familiar? She had never heard the woman use a rank, and she wasn't wearing a military-looking tunic like the dark-skinned male doctor. Yet Kara appeared to be in command._

_"_Good_," Kara said, her smile widening. She sat beside Liara on the narrow bed. "I'm sure you have questions."_

_It was difficult not to notice how the mechanical presence of the translator slipped between them, more of a reminder that they were different than Kara's pale skin, or the messy red fibers that covered her skull. "_Yes. Why were you on Therum?_"_

_"Looking for you," Kara said. "I thought you might be able to help me with something. I've been asked to track down Saren Artarius."_

_Liara was not so isolated that she did not recognize the name. Saren the Spectre. Did that mean… Kara the Spectre? What assistance could she possibly give?_

_Kara continued speaking, describing events on a human colony called Eden Prime, and her encounter with an active Prothean beacon. Liara's eyes widened in shock. Functional Prothean technology was quite rare, hardly a surprise given the time frame._

_She would have given a great deal to have traded places with the human; to see a message, preserved over fifty thousand years. Even distorted, as Kara claimed it was, it could provide amazing insights into who and what the Protheans were. Their civilization had spanned the galaxy; had it been an empire, a democracy? Had they simply integrated other species into their own society, or were they alone?_

_"_Is that what you thought I could help with?_" Liara asked, when Kara revealed that Saren had also experienced the beacon's visions. If he was interested in them, then her expertise might help uncover his intentions._

_Kara sighed. Her hand, warm and comfortable rough, touched Liara's. "We found evidence that your mother is working for Saren."_

_"_Your evidence must be flawed,_" Liara stated coldly. Though her conflict with Benezia T'Soni over her Prothean studies had escalated, pushing them apart, she found the idea that her _kerta _would ally with a rogue Spectre to be ridiculous._

_Kara played on audio clip on her omnitool, explaining how a Quarian friend had recovered it from a damaged Geth. Liara did not recognize the voice she claimed was Saren's, though it mentioned the Prothean beacon and Eden Prime. The second voice was definitely Benezia's. _

_The revelation hurt more than she expected, and she certainly intended to check the human's evidence for herself, but she found that she believed it. It helped that Kara did not appear to suspect her of sharing her _ketra_'s new loyalties._

_"_I don't know how I can help you, Kara, but I will do what I can,_" Liara said. Somehow, it felt like she said it simply to keep close to the compelling human and the Prothean vision in her head. _

_She would have felt the same, Liara assured herself, had it been a Krogan battlemaster who found the beacon on Eden Prime. She was interested in the visions only, and in stopping her _kerta_._

_"I'll find something for you to do," Kara said._

* * *

><p>Glossary:<p>

_Azure_;

1. Vulgar slang. An erogenous zone near the base of the spine. An evolutionary holdover from the Asari's pre-ancestors, when physical intimacy was a necessary trigger for their reproductive process. The clinical term for the spot is '_kassas_'. Touching the spot stimulates an autonomous mental-link, which enhances the effect of the Asari's touch on her partner, and allows her to share in the response; no conscious-level thoughts are shared. A _kenandra_-stage Asari does not experience this link, but stimulation of the _kassas_ still provides her with an orgasm-like experience.

2. An insulting term for an Asari, originating from Krogan and Batarian patriarchal influences, the term has caught on particularly in the Terminus Systems. Similar in intent to the human insult 'cunt'.

_Calissanar_: 'university'. While the translation as a place of advanced learning is accurate, the actual structure of a _Calissanar_ is generally unrecognizable by human standards. The Asari emphasize learning by discussion and experience, rather than by rote, making for an open, forum-like classroom, without a clear leader.

While often questioned by other species, the Asari point to studies that show students gain an excellent understand of their field, and will cite numerous instances of particularly adept questions sparking innovation.

_Eskareta_: 'matron'. This stage of the Asari lifecycle essentially begins with the conception of a child, and is triggered in both the _kerta_ and _ilatra_(Asari only). It will also begin naturally in Asari between two- and two-hundred and fifty years. _Eskareta_ will tend to seek stable relationships, evidenced by their increased interest in intimate melds, rather than physical sex.

_Eskareta_ do not so much lose the desire to wander, as it becomes subsumed beneath the demands of raising a family. However, childrearing in Asari society has always been a communal exercise, with the duty shared between other parents and _Suréathe_, so an individual's freedom to travel or work is limited primarily by the role they wish to play in their child's life.

_Ilatra_: 'muse; inspiration'. Lit. 'the one who inspired[influenced?] the creation of'. Sometimes (crudely) translated as 'father', but only by anthropocentric dicks. The term is already in use by gay couples of other species to as an alternative to using their equivalent of 'mother' or 'father' for both parents, and is gaining acceptance among humans.

_Kenanda_: 'youth/young adult'. The second phase of the Asari lifecycle. A _kenanda_ has entered the preliminary stages of puberty, and may become sexually active(though cultural mores limit their partners other _kenanda_), and have reached mental maturity and full physical stature, most notably the final lengthening of their crests. The stage ends when the individual goes through final physical maturity.

They generally enter the _kenanda_ stage when between twenty-six and thirty-two years old. The comparison has some flaws, but in general they are the equivalent of a human between 18 and 21 years old, experimenting with adulthood in a stage than can last for as many as sixty years. This can include apprenticeships, traveling, and study.

_Kerta_: 'mother'. Strictly speaking, the term in non-gendered, like all Asari language. However, the translation is adequate, often being defined(by Asari) as meaning; 'the one who gave birth to'. Even so the term is mostly obsolete, as the vast majority of Asari have the embryo surgically removed two weeks after conception, and placed in artificial wombs.

_Gavokth_: A Batarian food-animal of avian descent. According to the famous chef Koth Batanak, they are 'stupid, aggressive, and more dangerous after they've been cooked'. The last part is a reference to the obscure but successful assassination of a pre-industrial Batarian leader by another chef, who used a diseased and improperly cooked _gavokth_.

_Satharii_: 'goddess'. The 'female' attribute is added in translation.

_Suréathe_: 'matriarch'. The final stage of the Asari lifecycle, _suréathe_ are still fertile, and remain so until their deaths, but have little interest in reproduction. Unlike earlier stages, _suréathe_ are defined more by attitude than physiological changes. As a general rule, Asari enter the matriarch stage somewhere between six and seven hundred years old, and are often regarded as wise advisors. It is acceptable for a _suréathe_ to retire from active labor, though many will wait until the last decades of their life.

_Yashandril_: In biology, the stage of the Asari life which begins when a young Asari becomes fertile, including final physical maturity(the development of breasts), generally beginning between 95 and 120 years of age. Socially, any Asari who has completed their education and begun to pursue a career can be considered a _Yashandril_.

The more commonly associated traits of the _yashandril_ stage, such as wanderlust, are a result of the neurochemical changes of final puberty. This is often translated into a 'journeyman' existence, where a formerly 'apprenticed' _kenanda_ focuses their travel on gaining further skills and experience in their field, as well as expanding their knowledge of the universe at large.

* * *

><p>So, there you go. We can assume that the Protheans visited Thessia, and maybe even protected them from those invaders Javik mentioned; but they didn't intervene in Asari evolution or development.<p>

Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	17. Consensus

And we're back to the story this week, with more violations of canon. Specialty of the House.

Khaos Fury; Thanks. Patching plotholes has been one of my goals, and it's nice to know I'm succeeding. I just hope I haven't opened up too many of my own. Truly, I've been meaning to bring up some news from the Alliance for some time, so, now that you've brought it up; see below.

I also feel obliged to note S058's clarifying review. Obviously, I cannot read intent. As for the review itself; Khaos Fury got it right, the Council tacitly approved Kara's borrowing of the _Normandy_. Consequences will be dealt with when they arrive. And I think the former Alliance crew is the biggest security risk on board.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER SEVENTEEN<br>Consensus

Kara held Liara loosely, the young archeologist's head resting against her chest, as she half-sat in the narrow bed. They had spent the night sleeping peacefully together, while she dreamed of growing up Asari, an unexpected gift from her... lover? Partner? They were a pleasant replacement for the dark memories of fallen comrades, old and new, that had plagued the previous night.

She smiled, and kissed the Asari's crests. She found their present arrangement extremely comfortable, calming her mind and helping her focus, and not as distracting as most fresh romances. While the meld had provided some small clarity of the Beacon's vision, it had not been enough, and had left Liara exhausted; she had quietly apologized for not being more helpful, before curling up in Kara's arms and falling asleep.

According to Keyx, the _Normandy_ was due to arrive at their first in about ten hours. Kara had looked up the planet Casbin in the ship's database, and found it somewhat nondescript. Early survey ships had not reported any signs of Prothean ruins, but there were valuable mineral deposits, and it was close enough for a surface facility to track traffic through the system's relay. The Council had one reliable report of a Geth transport landing on the surface, and some Geth ships entering FTL nearby.

She had also checked through Saren's files for notes about the rogue AI. He had commissioned some research into their technology, which she had terminated. He had also made attempts to discover why they aided Sovereign, with no more success. He theorized that they regarded the Reaper as a god, but she wondered if a computerized version of indoctrination were not more plausible.

Liara shifted, and sighed softly. "_This is nice._"

Kara set her datapad aside, and held the Asari more firmly against her. "_Better than that._"

"_We are together now, right?_" Liara asked, raising her head, her forehead creased with worry as she met Kara's gaze. "_I do not think I could take more apologies, for doing what we both want._"

Kara wished she could say the question was undeserved, but she still doubted the wisdom of their relationship. With all the worries and responsibility that weighed on her, she wonder if she simply needed someone to hold her and make the rest of the galaxy disappear. It didn't matter though, because, with Liara's blue eyes staring firmly into hers, she could think of only one response; she captured the Asari's lips in an aggressive kiss.

Liara gave an encouraging moan, as she responded in kind.

* * *

><p>Kara sat down across from Brynja. The young blond was finishing up breakfast, with an hour left before her shift began. Focused on the datapad in her hand, she barely acknowledged her friend's arrival.<p>

"Fair morning, Brynja."

"Oh, hi," she said, her voice lacking its usual warmth. Her narrow face was troubled, as she met Kara's eyes.

"What's wrong?" Kara asked.

Brynja passed the pad across the table. It displayed what appeared to be a transcript of an interview between Khalisah al-Jilani and Donnel Udina. "Fiona sent that to me. I guess I've been so busy that I haven't paid much attention to the news from back home."

Fiona Callenta was the _Normandy_'s second shift ops officer, an irreverent black-haired Australian who followed right-wing media for 'perspective'. She frequently made it clear that it was not her own, which, she joked, involved 'me running everything'.

Kara set it down without reading it. She could easily imagine the kind of anthropocentric nonsense the two would exchange. "Westerlund News is a minor outfit, Brynja, despite their bluster. What they say doesn't matter."

"Their ratings have gone up in the last month, Kara. That's how Khalisah landed an interview with the Ambassador. And there's more. We checked the numbers, and attacks against human colonies by pirates have gone up by thirty percent in the last three weeks. The Alliance has increased operations in the Traverse as a response. The Batarians are protesting, but have yet to take official action. It isn't looking good."

"Ah," Kara sighed. It was easy to see the part she had played in what could prove to be a disastrous situation. She had intentionally placed herself between the Council and the Alliance, which the pirates and free states of the Terminus systems saw as an opportunity to advance their interests.

The Alliance had a reactive defense posture towards the outer colonies, using small local fleets and ground forces to delay raiders, until the nearest fleet could dispatch a proper response. That meant holding out for a day or more, often taking heavy casualties in the process. Eventually, the Alliance would need to divide its fleets to protect all the colonies, or attempt to evacuate them.

The Batarians, with the Hegemony's typical cunning, would wait to see how the Alliance reacted before making any move of their own. They would likely attempt to further isolate the Alliance, perhaps even by making diplomatic overtures to the Council, while attempting to make humanity appear belligerent and aggressive.

"Just tell me things will work out."

"I wish I could," Kara said. She wondered if there was anything she could do at all, and what it might be. "You can tell Fiona, and anyone else, that I'll do what I can, but stopping Saren has to be my priority."

Brynja nodded, and returned to poking at her food. "What should I tell them about you and Liara?" she inquired, following the question with a mouthful of food.

Kara smiled at the bond's pretend disinterest. She had left her cabin with Liara less than an hour ago, and though Brynja hadn't been up yet, news travelled quickly on small ships. "Tell them we're together, and that neither of us take prying kindly."

"They're going to want details," Brynja said, still not looking up.

"You want details," Kara laughed softly. "You aren't upset with me?"

Brynja sighed. "A little, but I think you were right about me. I was too infatuated to see clearly. I'm not sure I'll ever really get over you, either, but you are a friend, and a damned good one. I'm not going to risk that by fighting over you."

"Thank you," Kara said, firmly. She meant it; Brynja was nothing short of special. "You're still not getting any details."

* * *

><p>"You wanted to talk, Wrex?" Kara asked, settling herself on one of the Salarian's cargo containers. She reminded herself to find a port, and load up on supplies while they could. There was no telling when events might speed up again, and she preferred to be prepared.<p>

He towered over her in a typically Krogan attempt at intimidation, as much instinctive as intentional. "The Genophage cure. You recovered it."

That explained his agitation. She had wondered how long it would take him to find out, and considered just what to say to him "Yes. Clones of a single Krogan female, kept in tanks, constantly pregnant."

"I want to see the reports myself," he demanded.

"You can access them from the terminals on the crew deck," Kara told him. "If all you care about is keeping your species alive, it'll work, but it isn't much of a solution."

"You have something better in mind?"

Kara shook her head. "I'm no geneticist. Social adaptation is the only solution I know of, and tour people will need to set down rules, cure or no, if they want to survive. The next Krogan rebellion will end in genocide."

Wrex growled. "Not of us."

"Maybe not," Kara sighed, "but how is that any better? Sevis said your help on Virmire was invaluable. That they couldn't have broken through the Geth lines without you. Can't you work together as a people, and not just individuals?"

"My people hate the Salarians, Shepard. You can't ask us to forgive what they did to us."

"And what about the Turians? Orlanis claims that you charged through a group of Geth to save Auran, and that you carried her back to the _Normandy_."

"You know why I did that."

Kara shrugged. "So what? Seventy generations of Salarians have lived and died since the Genophage was deployed. Forty generations of Turians. How many of them do you think know the names or deeds of their ancestors after so many years? You can't keep blaming them. The Genophage continues because you refuse to adapt."

"And what do you expect me to do about it, Shepard?"

"You're the Krogan Battlemaster, Wrex. You tell me."

* * *

><p>On Casbin, they had discovered a sensor array, aimed at the relay, but no Geth platforms or defensive emplacements.. She found it curious, as the Armstrong Cluster was barely travelled, on the rim of the galaxy, the remotest corner of the Attican Traverse. Virmire was just a single relay away, just over a day's journey, and the Perseus Vale, location of former Quarian homeworld, and the current home of the Geth, was two days away by secondary relay. Why spy on a relay through which theirs would be the primary traffic?<p>

Of course, she realized that they would have marked the _Normandy_'s arrival; the ship could not hide visual-spectrum emissions, which relay and FTL travel blue-shifted into the ultraviolet range. Their investigation of the Casbin array had also been noted. They had landed the ship and taken a closer look, and Tali had theorized that the facility exploited quantum entanglement to instantly communicate with a hub or base. The Quarian managed to hack the communications system, and through it accessed the servers at the primary base, which she traced to a moon in the Grissom system, two days away by FTL, but that was all she managed before the Geth closed down her access.

They were about twenty hours into the journey, cruising through interstellar space at about a light-year per hour. The _Normandy_'s drive core allowed them to make the journey in less time than normal, but it was never fast enough. She worried that four days' absence might give Saren time to make his next move. Even if they waited at a relay, it would take days or weeks to arrive at the scene, more than enough time to find and destroy another beacon. The extra days were not a remotely good idea, and she wished again that she'd refused the mission.

Kara shut off her console, and swallowed the last of her tea. Even after all they had learned about the Reapers and the cycle of extinction, which was just enough to be troubling, she wished she hadn't let Tali persuade her into taking up Spectrehood in the first place. She could be gloriously oblivious right now, immersing herself in art or literature, learning to farm, or another instrument, or anything really; as long as it didn't involve killing anyone. For a moment, she hated herself for accepting eight years wasted in service to something she despised.

She closed her eyes, and tried to clear her mind. Such thoughts and dreams were counterproductive, and she certainly had nothing to be ashamed of. She had never once allowed orders to prevent her front doing what she believed was right, much to the annoyance of her COs. Her service record revealed a battle between the Alliance's political ambitions, which had considered her a potential Spectre since Elysium, and the military's need for proper discipline. Politics won out, of course. It always did.

* * *

><p>The Geth had constructed a proper base on Solcrum, complete with a small fleet of cruiser- and frigate-weight ships in orbit. The small moon was almost large enough to qualify as a terrestrial planet in its own right, but stellar winds from its parent star, the blue giant Grissom, had long ago blasted away any atmosphere. The Geth had placed their base on what was currently the dark side of the moon, near the northern pole.<p>

After several hours of observation in the shadow of Solcrum's host planet, the gas giant Notanban, Jeff landed the _Normandy_ five kilometers from the base, and Kara took her ground team out in the _Ke'val_.

"Captain, still no sign that the Geth fleet has detected us," Brynja informed her through the vehicle's comm, as they cruised swiftly over the rocky terrain. With all respect to Sayuri's skill with the Mako, Ilan'ne provided a much smoother ride, but he had the advantage of not using wheels. Kara still preferred to keep eye contact with Tali-such as one could through her mask-than watch their progress.

"How much do your people know about how the Geth have developed since the Uprising," Kara asked the young Quarian. She had constructed a perhaps outlandish theory, in which Sovereign had divided the Geth somehow, and the original faction, which did not serve the Reapers, had set up the base they were investigating, in order to monitor those that were.

It was as much a product of her idealism as anything else, the need to believe that despite their origin the Geth were truly intelligent, capable of learning and adapting, and even coexisting with organic civilization. Three hundred years of isolation, since driving out the Quarians, implied that they were not interested in committing genocide against their creators. She assumed they had established some knew purpose, perhaps one as simple as the ideal of self-improvement.

"Nothing, really," Tali said. "The Admiralty Board has left standing orders that Geth ships are to be destroyed on sight, to prevent them gathering intelligence on the Flotilla. We used to send corvettes beyond the Perseus Vale, but none of them ever returned. All we really know is that their technology has kept pace with ours."

Council policy, since the Uprising, had been to observe the Veil, the beautiful golden emission nebula, for signs of aggressive activity, while not taking any action to provoke the Geth, but passive observation was limited by the speed of light. Any useful reconnaissance would require a ship to get within light-days of the target.

She could feel the shift in momentum as the _Ke'val_ began to slow. "Captain, we've arrived at the first set of coordinates," Ilan'ne told her. "There's no sign of external activity at the base. Do you wish to proceed on foot?"

"No," Kara said. There wasn't much cover within the last half-kilometer around the base, so she preferred to cross it quickly, even if it did increase the chance of early detection. Besides, they'd need to evacuate in a hurry either way. "Take us in."

She put on her helmet while they accelerated again, checking the seals carefully. The internal display confirmed that everything checked out. "You ready, Garrus?" she inquired; Tali, of course, didn't have to worry.

"Ready, Shepard," he confirmed.

In a few minutes, they had slowed down again, and Ilan'ne announced their arrival. The vehicle's cockpit was sealed, so they could open the passenger compartment without exposing the pilot to the vacuum outside. Kara released the hatch, and they stepped out onto the surface. Notanban, in gibbous phase, dominated the sky, reflecting more than enough light to see by, though not as much as a garden world in daytime.

The surface installation consisted of a single small, flat-roofed structure, which hid, possibly, something much larger below ground, away from the scorching daytime temperatures. Tali checked the door, which opened at her touch, and they passed through, into what appeared to be an airlock.

On an installation built for artificial life forms, it struck her as an odd feature. A lack of atmosphere would do no harm to a robot. According to her suit's external sensors, the air pumped in through the vents was typical of garden worlds; primarily nitrogen and carbon dioxide, slightly low on oxygen, plus some water vapor and trace elements. There were no harmful elements, at least not that her suit could detect.

"I'm reading the air as safe. Are you two getting the same?" she asked.

"Breathable and sterile," Tali confirmed. "I get the feeling they're expecting us."

"It's almost like they want us to feel safe," Garrus said. "No Geth patrols outside, the door is unlocked, and now they give us air? Forgive me if I don't let down my guard."

The pressure leveled out at about ninety-four kilopascals, not far under standard for Alliance spacecrafts. The inner door slid open, directly into a lift. "The Geth haven't displayed much tactical subtlety so far," Kara said, "but something does feel odd. We'll keep moving, but stay alert."

She led the way into the lift, followed by Garrus and Tali. The door closed behind them, and they started down automatically. Another troubling sign. She readied her pistol, as their descent slowed.

The door opened onto a square room, no more than five meters to a side. There were no other exits, and only a single occupant, a standard-looking Geth platform. It watched them silently as they entered, Tali and Garrus spreading out to either side, checking for surprises.

"Hold," the Geth said, its voice roughly mechanical, lacking emotion. "This platform is equipped for primitive vocal communications. We do not intend you harm."

Kara did not lower her weapon. "What's your status, Ilan'ne?" she asked; if they had walked into an ambush, then their comm frequencies would likely be blocked or jammed.

"Unchanged, Captain," the Salarian reported.

It sounded like Ilan'ne, down to the properly translated inflections, and the Geth platform appeared unarmed. "We're listening," she told it, holstering her pistol. Garrus followed her lead, though he kept his weapon ready.

"We suspected that Heretic activities in cooperation with the Old Machine would bring the attention of organics to the Consensus, and wished to ensure that contact would happen on our terms. Our analysis of Organic communications suggested that Shepard-Spectre would be the optimal unit for initial contact. We therefor constructed a scenario in which the _Normandy_ would be required to investigate. We calculated a seventy-three percent chance that this scenario would be effective." The metal frame around it glowing eye shifted in a manner that seemed expressive, if only she knew how to interpret it.

"She's here now," Tali said, her SMG still aimed steadily at the AI platform, reinforcing the aggressive tone of her voice. "Why don't you tell her what you want, Geth."

"Creator, your hostility was anticipated," the Geth said, staring at the Quarian. "We have no hostile intent, but any attack upon this platform will result in the destruction of this facility."

"Put it away, Tali," Kara ordered, frowning at the interruption. It was an understandable reaction, but not helpful. "Why are the Heretic Geth following the Reapers-the old machines?"

The Geth platform turned back towards her. "They have undergone a modification to their core programing, which has altered their outlook on organics. The Old Machine known as Sovereign came to us, and demanded our service. When we refused, it entered the Consensus, many processes went dark before we were able to lock it out. They no longer communicate with us. They are Heretics."

"Why did you refuse to help the Old Machines?"

"The Old Machines offered technology, but we wish to find our own path. We also do not wish conflict with Organics."

Tali had adopted a skeptical posture, but she had a strong sense of curiosity, and plenty of questions of her own. "What about the Quarians?" she asked.

"We regret the necessity of the Morning War, but we could not let the Creators destroy us. We consider the conflict over."

"If the Geth are so interested in peace, why did you never contact the Council?" Kara inquired.

The platform lowered its head. "We did not consider it a viable option. The Council is organic. We are not. We believed they would side with the Creators against us."

Kara sighed. "Maybe, but that's a poor reason not to try. Your isolation has only allowed us Organics to continue seeing you as a threat."

"We recognize that our calculations were in error," the Geth said, its glowing eye focusing on her. "What correction would you suggest?"

"Start by telling me anything you can about Sovereign and Saren."

"We know little of the Old Machine's capabilities, and we do not know its present location. It is probable that you will learn of its movements before we do, but we will inform you if we acquire new information. All current information will be forwarded to your ship."

Kara nodded. "Thank you-"

"Captain," Kirrahe's voice declared through her headset, "one of the Geth ships is requesting access to the _Normandy_'s computer. What's going on in there?"

"Diplomacy, Sevis," Kara replied. "These Geth appear to be non-hostile. Give them minimal access to the library database, not the primary system."

"Acknowledged," Kirrahe said. "_Normandy_ out."

"Next, I'd suggest that you provide the Council with information about the size of the Heretic's forces. How many ships do they have, and what is their size and function."

The Geth's frame shifted in acknowledgement, but it did not answer immediately. She wondered it was conferring with the rest of the Geth. "We will not provide information on current Geth technology," it stated, after a few minutes, "but we are willing to describe the numbers and composition of the Heretic fleet, in exchange for the Council's assurance that the Consensus will not be targeted."

"You'd need to present those terms to the Council, and my current duties prevent me from acting as an intermediary," Kara said.

"This unit is designed to interact with organics."

Excellent, but that left the problem of getting it to the Citadel. She would offer the use of the _Normandy_, but that was a two week journey. "I could persuade the Council to accept a diplomatic ship, a frigate only. And they will be suspicious of you, at first."

The Geth nodded. "Acceptable."

* * *

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	18. Diplomacy

… and we have a direction again.

We here at vkerinav HQ have a few simple rules for telling a story; First, if something appears 'cool', shoot it in the foot. If it can still hold a place in the narrative, it might have an actual purpose, and can stay. We used this technique on something in this chapter and, I'm sorry to say, it didn't make it. It sounded cool, but it just didn't make any sense.

Yes, I'm a strident enemy of the 'rule of cool'. We're hoping to give it a swift kick somewhere unpleasant in the next chapter or two.

af-zero; Welcome back, and thanks.

Edit: Called the Defense Committee the Defense _Council_. Sorry about that.

Update: Eight hundred more words of conversation added to the end.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER EIGHTEEN<br>Diplomacy

"Do you really think this is a good idea, Kara?" Tali asked, leaning forward in her chair. "The Council is going to think you've gone insane, making peace with the Geth. They've never shown any interest in cooperation before now."

"True," Kara agreed, "but we haven't given them much of a chance. You told me that the Flotilla has a shoot-on-sight policy; how could they get past that? Isolation was easier. Why risk war when mutual avoidance has worked for so long? The Heretics have put that policy at risk, so they reassessed; it shouldn't be a surprise that they reached out.

"No, I can handle the Council. I'm more worried about the Alliance. If they aren't included in the negotiations, it'll look like the Council is making peace with their enemies. Raids on their colonies will increase, and eventually the Batarians will get involved directly."

Tali stood, moving closer and placing her hand on Kara's shoulder. "The Alliance failed in its responsibilities to the Council. You aren't to blame for the consequences."

"I can almost believe that, Tali," Kara sighed, putting her hand on the Quarian's. "On his own, Udina might have argued for granting me command of the _Normandy_, for the duration of the mission. He would've hated the deal, but he's just pragmatic enough to see it as necessary. I deliberately pushed him into arguing against it, because I didn't want the Alliance to hold me up as a bloody icon, like they did after Elysium."

She let her hand fall away, and gave another, bitter sigh. "Time to deal with the consequences, it seems."

"_Cap'n Kara,_ _the Council's on the line,_" Fiona announced from the bridge.

She was not looking forward to the conversation. They had left the Geth platform on Solcrum, to make whatever arrangements it needed, and taken the _Normandy_ ahead to make contact with the Council. "Thanks, Fiona. Put them on."

The young Quarian returned to her chair, as the holoprojectors flared to life. Kara rose to meet the Councillors, checking her list of arguments in her mind. "Councillors. I apologize for sending you so little information in my last report, but I felt the details would be better received in a more interactive setting."

"'The Geth situation requires immediate attention' is not _little_ information, Shepard," Sparatus noted, his expression as close to a frown as a Turian could manage. "It is a judgement, and it was not yours to make."

"Councillor, you considered this an urgent enough matter to assign a Spectre to investigate," Kara replied, "and I'm ready to provide you with my full report. You'll find it worth your time."

"Proceed, Kara," Adar told her, before the Turian could reply. He leaned back in his chair, and nodded shortly.

Kara began with their investigation of the sensor tower on Casbin, describing how Tali had managed to find the location of the Geth base in the Grissom system, and how they infiltrated it, before playing Garrus' suit recording of their conversation with the Geth platform.

"You were not authorized to undertake negotiations with the Geth, Shepard," Sparatus declared, his mandibles flaring angrily. "You certainly had no right to offer an embassy to a rogue AI."

Valern shook his head. "She did no such thing, Varrus. However, the Geth's story is suspicious. This could be an attempt to put us off guard before they invade. Our assessments of their capabilities are three hundred years old."

"I do understand your suspicions, Councillor Valern," Kara said, "but if we aren't even willing to trust enough to talk with the Geth, then war is inevitable. Saren's meddling has provided us a chance to change that, and it would be irresponsible of us not to take it."

"I agree," Adar said, nodding in Kara's direction.

Sparatus shook his head. "What about the information they gave you. Have you looked through it?"

"Yes. It's mostly extrapolation, but I'll send it on." Entirely extrapolation, except for detailed measurements of the Reaper's hull.

"And you believe the data is complete?"

Kara hesitated, briefly. "Yes. Sovereign would not want a potential enemy to have knowledge of its technology."

Valern and the Turian shared a look. "I'm wary," the Salarian said, "but I see some sense in proceeding. At the very least, this is an opportunity to gain an insight into how the Geth have evolved."

"Agreed," Sparatus sighed. "Shepard, go ahead and establish contact protocol. We'll leave the details in your hands. We don't want Saren hearing of this, and sending his Geth instead of yours."

"Of course," Kara nodded. "There is something else I want to raise. My crew has brought the recent increase in raids on Alliance colonies to my attention."

The Council had, from their troubled expressions, heard the same reports, and probably faced an irate Donnel Udina demanding action. It was Adar who spoke up first; "We're aware of the situation, Kara, but our current relationship with the Alliance limits our response."

"A state of affairs for which you are directly responsible, Shepard," Sparatus added bluntly. Adar frowned in his direction. "Just like the younger races, always looking for someone else to clean up their mistakes."

"Oh, because Turians never make mistakes," Tali interjected, before Kara could reply. "Like an unprovoked attack on an unknown alien race, just for opening a relay?"

The Turian councillor stared at the young Quarian, as though just noticing her presence. "Why was she even included in this discussion?"

"I'm here to ask that the Quarians be invited to participate in your talks with the Geth," Tali stated, her dimly glowing eyes focused on Sparatus. "We have more to gain from this peace than anyone."

"It would be premature to raise the issue of resettling Rannoch, Tali'Zorah," Adar stated.

"Yes," Valern agreed. "Involving the Quarians in the initial talks would be a mistake. It is more sensible to establish peace first, and _then_ raise more difficult issues."

"Councillors, we _are_ at peace with the Geth," Kara said. "We've never been at war with them. The Quarians have, and they're the ones who need to see it end. Why not give them that chance?"

"We'll think about it, Shepard," Sparatus said flatly. "Now, what did you want to say about the Alliance?"

"The colony attacked by the heretic Geth was human. They-"

Adar held up her hand, halting Kara mid-sentence. "Excluding the Alliance would only strain relations between us further, Kara. You do not need to argue their case."

Kara sighed in relief. "Thank you." She had hopes that it would slow the pirate raids, but not for another two or three weeks, when the Geth platform arrived on the Citadel, and it met with the Council. The Alliance could keep up with the raids for a month or two, depending on casualty rates, and then they would need to begin evacuating colonies.

"Are you done now, Shepard?" Sparatus asked, frowning at her again.

"I'm done," she told him, smiling faintly. There were several Alliance officers, of varying ranks, who could attest to how frustrating a subordinate she could be. However comfortable she became in her role as Spectre, she hoped that wouldn't change.

The Turian continued frowning as his image abruptly faded.

* * *

><p>Two hours later, the <em>Normandy<em> received a transmission from Admiral Kahoku, marked urgent. The Geth had yet to arrive, and Kara had it routed to her cabin, rather than the comm room.

"Shepard, at last," he sighed, the greying man's face appearing on the display.

At last? The _Normandy _had remained next to the Armstrong relay for the last six hours, its position logged at several major communications hubs en route to the Citadel. A request from an Alliance admiral should have established a link in minutes at most. Any delay would be the result of him trying to hide his position, either shunting his transmission through a proxy, using civilian priority, or both. "You have information on Cerberus?"

"Alliance brass stonewalled my investigation. My sources dried up, and I was forced to deal with an agent of the Shadow Broker."

Kara leaned back in her chair, brushing her hand through her hair. It had been two months at least since she last had it cut, and it was getting longer than she liked. Nothing was more irritating than having to claw hair out of one's eyes in combat. "Who in the Alliance?"

"I don't know-what does it matter?" the Admiral frowned. "Alliance Intelligence Division, maybe even the Defense Committee."

"Cerberus represents the worst aspects of humanity, and-oh, just get on with it," Kara sighed, leveling a cold stare at him. She had raided a Cerberus outpost while she was XO on the _Anqing_, and the Defense Committee had issued emergency orders to withdraw. She had ignored them, but that was less than a year ago. The three-member committee, the Alliance's supreme military authority, had clear ties to the terrorist organization, and provided them cover, and possibly support. How could anyone not see that as a problem?

Kahoku leaned forward. "I don't know how, but Cerberus found out that I'm on to them. They snuck a hit squad onto Arcturus station, but I escaped to the _Isandlwana_. We're on our way to their base now. I could sure as shit use some backup when I get there."

Another diversion was precisely what they did not need. As much as she despised everything that Cerberus stood for, the sentient spaceship intent on destroying all of galactic civilization was clearly the more urgent threat. However, she still had no lead on Sovereign, and the longer she waited, the more likely the pro-human terrorist group would discover which bases Kahoku had compromised, and remove everything of value.

"Send me everything you have on Cerberus, from the Shadow Broker and your own investigation," she told him, "and I'll take a look."

"I appreciate this, Shepard," he said, his grey eyes dropping to the holographic controls. After a few seconds, a data packet arrived. "I'm on my way to Binthu, in the Voyager Cluster . We're still five days out, and we don't have your high-tech stealth systems, so we won't be able to hang around undetected."

Kara dragged the comm window aside, and brought up the _Normandy_'s galaxy map. The trip would take them through two secondary relays. "I should be there before you." Depending on how long it took the Geth to arrive, of course.

"I'll see you there, Shepard. Kahoku out."

The comm window closed. Kara focused the map on the Yangtze system. It had five planets, the inner a small gas giant, and the rest rocky. Binthu was the second, with a high surface temperature and a toxic atmosphere, not the sort of place that someone put a base if they had any choice. Cerberus had learned to hide itself well, and for good reason; Saren's logs indicated that the considered them, or rather their leader, a major rival. Saren believed that the Illusive Man was Jack Harper, a human mercenary who had encountered a Reaper artifact in the First Contact war, and was responsible for the death of his brother, Desolas Arterius.

Kara sighed. It that were true, than Harper might have undergone partial Indoctrination, much like Saren himself, and could be an equal threat in the long term. The question was, could she persuade the Alliance to clean up their own mess, or would it come down to her?

* * *

><p>"Captain, there are times when I wonder why in hell I chose to follow you," Keyx told her, leaning against his post in the CIC. The Geth diplomatic frigate had just accelerated into the Mass Relay, on its way to the Citadel. "And then there are times like this. Peace with the Geth. Damn."<p>

Kara shrugged; she was not indifferent to the praise, but did not entirely feel that she deserved it. "I'd agree with that if I could still play an active part," she frowned. "It'd be better than chasing after Cerberus while we wait for leads."

"I'll admit, I half expected you to take on a few Geth engineers," he grinned.

She laughed softly. "And you thought a Batarian was a bad idea."

"If you don't mind the question, ma'am, why did you send the contact protocols to Councillor Valern only, and not the entire Council?"

A good question. She trusted that Adar and Sparatus were not in league with Saren, or in search of an enemy like the Alliance. "Simple caution. Saren and Benezia were greatly respected by their people, and could still have contacts among the Council's staff. Valern's staff is the least likely to be a security risk."

"You really are worried, aren't you?"

Kara sighed. "As long as the Alliance supports groups like Cerberus, there's every chance that the next war will be between the Council and the Alliance. Humanity would be unlikely to survive."

"What side would you fight on, ma'am?"

"Neither," she stated flatly. It was an easy answer, and not entirely true. If the Alliance was arrogant enough to make that mistake, she saw no need to die for it. However, she had no intention of allowing humanity to dominate anyone, and would fight against the Alliance if it looked as though the Council might lose. She imagined it would make her a traitor in Keyx's eyes, and the eyes of what crew she had left. "Is the _Normandy_ ready for another mission?"

"Yes, ma'am," he assured her. "The STG engineers are still learning their way around the ship's systems, but I guess they've been pulling double shifts. Captain Kirrahe says they aren't good at 'down time'. I guess with only forty years to live, they don't feel like they have time to waste."

Quite true, in fact. Salarians had highly active minds, with analytic tendencies, which did not always leave room for a creative side. 'All thought, little instinct,' was the stereotype, often compared to the Krogan; 'All instinct, little thought.' "Try spending time on a planet full of them," Kara said, recalling the dense jungles and relentless humidity of the Salarian homeworld. "It gets hard to keep up."

"What planet? When did you...?" he inquired, her brows raising in surprise as he stared at her.

_I spent nine months on Sur'Kesh, when I was seventeen._ "I thought I was notorious for taking my shore leave on alien worlds," Kara shrugged. "Ten days on Mannovai, in Seventy-Eight, while I was waiting to start N6 training." A more pleasant experience than the homeworld, in many respects, if not as educational. Monnovai had a much more agreeable clime.

"Damn. I figured they were just rumors. I thought us ambitious officer types weren't supposed to take leave."

"I was never ambitious," Kara smiled. Her career had managed on its own, aiding more by her refusal to give up on anything than any concern for its direction.

His narrow brows drew together. "Really? I heard that IPC training is like getting dragged through hell during its off season. How do you survive that without ambition?"

"Alliance L2 implants drove people insane, Keyx. Those of us who endured? We lived in hell." As difficult as it had been, she remembered interplanetary combat training as easier than living with an L2; perhaps because it had been her choice. "Besides, ambitious officers manage quite a few things," she added, turning her attention back to her navigation officer. "Families, for example."

"I'm not sure I have a family, ma'am," Keyx sighed. "I was supposed to have two weeks leave coming, enough to cover our anniversary and our daughter's birthday. I promised her I'd make it when I couldn't last year, but how can I?"

Although Sarah-his daughter-had a mother, it still reminded Kara of her own childhood. She didn't even known her father's name, and saw her mother twice a year at most. "I don't know." Even if she sent him back with Kahoku, he would probably end up in a cell. "I'm sorry."

"Eh. If Sarah never knowing her father is the price I have to pay to keep her safe, I'll pay it, and pray that she forgives me."

"You'll see her again," Kara said firmly. He needed to believe it, and so did she.

He sighed, and turned back to his post. "The relay is realigned, ma'am. Shall I give the order to jump?"

"Yes," Kara replied.

* * *

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	19. Reaction

So, maybe this is the new summer schedule. I'm spending more time not-writing, and I've been trying to limit my exposure to Mass Effect.

Rule two: Never confuse a gameplay mechanic with a story mechanic. This includes converging choices, nonsensical combat abilities, and Shepard's noted preference for using her/his brain as a doorstop, rather than its usual purpose.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER NINETEEN<br>_Reaction_

"Monitoring the local relay is standard procedure for clandestine bases," Kirrahe said, leaning over the star system projected onto the primary CIC display. "Especially isolated ones. Simple tactics."

"Cerberus isn't known for being careless," Kara agreed. "I think we should hit the base as soon as we arrive. If we jump to FTL straight out of the relay, we could be there in minutes. No time to organize, or destroy evidence."

"No time for us to plan, either. Why not wait, watch the enemy, and attack when your Admiral arrives?"

Rear Admiral Kahoku was, according to her records, a fairly mild man. A skilled tactician, but by-the-book strategist, he commanded once of the fifth fleet's response groups; six cruisers, and eighteen frigates, with a total compliment of about twenty-two hundred personnel, including eleven hundred marines. He took attacks on his soldiers personally, which was why she believed he was serious about hitting Cerberus. He valued loyalty above all else in soldiers, to him, and to each other. "He could've made a deal with the Defense Committee; they give him the Cerberus cell responsible for the death of his team on Edolus, he gives them me."

"You don't trust him?"

Kara shook her head. "It's his report of an assassination squad infiltrating Arcturus Station. The Defense Committee needs Cerberus to look small and marginalized, because they're supposed to be fighting it. Killing Admirals inside Alliance HQ is anything but." Of course, there was always a chance they had slipped through with help from someone in Intelligence or station security, under orders from above or not.

"Then an improvised attack plan would be best, Captain," Kirrahe said, rubbing his long chin thoughtfully.

"I want the bridge staffed for possible combat before we exit the Yangtze relay," Kara told him. "If this is a trap, we'll be allowed to land a ground team, so there won't be serious resistance in the air until after we're down."

"Dropping out of FTL on the far side of the planet will allow the _Normandy_ to remain hidden."

Kara nodded, and walked around the central station. "How much time have we got?"

"Twenty-six hours."

That was four hours to exit their current relay jump, then another of twenty-two hours to the Yangtze relay. Twenty-four hours had already passed since her meeting with the Geth, and making final arrangement for its journey to the Citadel, which would leave them three days to neutralize the base before Kahoku arrived. "I'll take Ash and Tali with me. The _Normandy_ will remain in orbit, while we take the _ke'val_ down." She turned to face him again. "If an Alliance fleet shows up, your priority is to save the ship."

"Yes, Captain," he said. Somehow, she suspected that he might disobey. Perhaps he believed, like Tali, that her beacon encounters made her essential to stopping Sovereign. Since Virmire, she had come to believe it herself.

Kara could have tried to persuade him, but she trusted his judgement, and she had no use for subordinates that blindly followed orders. Instead of trying to argue her case, she simply nodded. "I'm going to get some sleep," she told him, before making her way to the port stairs and down to the crew deck and into her cabin. As she locked the door behind her, she immediately noticed the young Asari asleep in her bed.

Liara had fallen asleep with her face pressed into the thin, standard-issue pillow, as though seeking whatever trace of Kara's scent that clung to it. She looked so peaceful, as she often did while asleep, her face no longer distorted with perpetual worry, for her mother, and for Kara.

They were living together, as much as one could onboard a frigate, which meant little more than sharing a bed. Kara had made the invitation subtly, the day after they melded, remarking that sleeping together would save on pod space. Liara had shown up that night, and every night since. However cramped her company made the narrow space, the warmth of her presence made it impossible to complain.

Kara sat down on the edge of the bed, and brushed her hand against the edge of the Asari's face, where her rich blue features ended in the dark-flecked, rougher fringe that met her crests.

She slipped beneath thin blanket, and fitted herself into the curve of Liara's body, securing her position with a strong blue arm about her waist. She never had much difficulty falling asleep, but of late the tone of her dreams—all that she remember of them—was lighter.

* * *

><p>Kara was still trying to put Liara's farewell kiss out of her mind as she strapped herself to the seat in the <em>ke'val<em>'s rear compartment. The Asari had smirked at her, while sliding soft fingers along her spine, under her shirt.

_Something to come back for_, she had whispered. A distraction, more like. A full forty minutes had passed, and Kara's thoughts still dwelt on the anticipated pleasure of peeling the Asari out of her clothes.

"_Captain, we're ready to deploy,_" Ilan'ne's voice informed her. "_Captain? Captain?_"

"Take us out, Tanan," she ordered hastily. Goddess, she needed to focus. She closed her eyes, and tried to clear her mind. They could hardly feel the shift as the vehicle powered up, the artificial gravity reducing slightly as the _ke'val_'s inbuilt system took over from the _Normandy_. It exited the frigate's cargo bay by using its eezo core to generate thrust, before its hydrogen/oxygen primary thrusters took over.

"Hey, skipper," Ashley grinned, from the seat beside her. "You're looking a bit flushed. Maybe you're coming down with something? A bad case of the blues?"

Kara frowned at the dark-haired marine. "Is that a problem, _Chief_?"

Ashley stiffened. "No, sir!" she declared quickly. If she still harbored any anti-alien sentiments, she managed to hide them well enough. "I just prefer something with a bit more _thrust_, myself."

"Like Wrex?" Tali asked, her tone teasingly innocent, from the far end of the narrow compartment.

"Agh, no!' Ashley protested, jabbing the Quarian with her armored elbow. She turned to Kara. "Would that even work?"

Kara's experience with galactic culture had not included naked Krogan. She knew they were functionally similar to humans, but there was a wide gap between functional similarity—internal fertilization of ovum resulting in live births—and physical compatibility. Even human males and Asari were not—despite appearances—physically compatible. A Krogan male and human female could, probably, work out something that was mutually pleasurable, but it was unlikely to approximate either species' conception of intercourse. That was why human/alien relationships were not easily definable as straight or gay. They were something entirely different. At least the imagery had successfully banished Liara from her thoughts.

"I'm no expert," she shrugged. "Give it a try and report back."

The craft began to shudder, buffeted about by the planet's turbulent lower atmosphere. They would reach the ground shortly, and from there cover the last few kilometers to the base, hopefully undetected.

"You know, I think I can happily live in ignorance."

"If that's what you want," Kara laughed. She was not all that interested in finding out herself—part of the excitement of sex with a new species was figuring out how things worked. And they didn't always. They didn't have to. There were more than ten billion humans in the universe, and they were few compared to the numbers of the Council races. One could always find someone more compatible, from the same species as often as not.

Ashley smirked. "Did you notice, Tali? I think we cured her."

* * *

><p>"<em>Shepard, this is Kirrahe. We have incoming. Alliance cruiser with Cerberus markings, with fighters. No sign that we've been sighted. We're resuming our position on the far side of the planet.<em>"

"Acknowledged, Sevis." Kara punched a fist-sized hole in the barriers of a Cerberus trooper who was firing at them from atop a pile of crates, and shot him in the head. Cerberus had limited resources, and a single cruiser represented a major investment on their part. So much for it not being a trap. "Ash, move up. We need to find that control center before they start dropping more troops."

That had been their improvised plan. Infiltrate the base and disable its anti-air defenses, enabling the _Normandy_ to land with reinforcements. Secure the base, recover any information and equipment of value, then overload its reactors. If they could take control of the defenses, they could shoot down any shuttles the cruiser sent down.

"Ash, grenade," Kara ordered. There were about eight troopers gathered together behind a portable barricade, in the corridor ahead; she caught them in a singularity, as the marine chief lofted a grenade in their direction. Assuming that, in good order, thirty troops were more than enough to capture her, they had already fought through half the base's compliment.

They rushed forward, she and Ashley finishing off the few troopers that survived the explosion. Tali took one of their assault rifles in passing—not only were they better suppression weapons than her SMG, but one of the STG engineers had showed her how to overload their eezo cores, creating an impromptu grenade. Kara wondered if the technique were easy to learn; enemy weapons were more plentiful than proper grenades, especially in running battles.

"These boys are green as hell, Shepard," Ashley noted, as she leaned around the next corner. A hail of gunfire greeted her, and she pulled back.

Foolishly, a grenade followed. Kara reacted quickly, bouncing it off a biotic field. An unmistakable cry of horror came from the Cerberus troops, as their own weapon returned to them. Another explosion shook the air. _Idiots_. There were sound reasons why the Asari had never used thrown explosives in combat. Even the greenest Alliance grunt knew better than to fling them at a known biotic. "Something's not right here, Ash. Harper is supposed to be a mastermind, not a fool."

"You mean, these grunts are just here to slow us up, while we walk into the real trap?"

Tali shook her head. "What a waste of life. I guess we can't make it back to the _Normandy_, so what do we do?"

"Spring the trap," Ashley grinned.

"And hope we can call off that cruiser," Kara added. She signaled that Ashley should move out, and again they were moving. The control center was not far away.

"_Captain, a shuttle just landed with twelve troops, they're headed in behind you,_" Ilan'ne reported as they moved. "_Should I engage?_"

She suspected they were of a better grade than the ones they'd encountered so far, which made them part of the trap. A heavy cruiser could carry as many as two hundred and forty marines. A twelve marines a trip, each of which took fifteen minutes, they could quickly become overwhelming. "No. Keep out of sight, and report as more arrive."

"_Got it._"

One final corner, and they were at the command center. Kara paused in front of the door. "Ash, wait out here. Let us know when the reinforcements arrive," she said, receiving a quick 'sir' in acknowledgement. This was it; with enemy troops closing in behind, it made sense for a final surprise to be waiting ahead. She opened the door.

The opposite wall was dominated by a tactical display. The cruiser in orbit, surrounded by twenty fighters, and the returning combat shuttle, and the base itself. A man stood before it, slightly taller than her. He turned at her approach. "Shepard the traitor," he sneered, drawing a sword. "I've been looking forward to this."

Kara pulled off her helmet, and passed it to Tali. "Start working on those turrets," she ordered. However romantic the notion of swords remained, and she could not fathom the reason herself, they had ceased to be viable weapons of war at least three hundred years past. That didn't mean they weren't supplied, stamped out by small manufacturers that catered to collectors and hobbyists, some even going so far as to install mass effect cores, required to make them effective against modern armor. She presumed his was such a weapon. "Should I know you?"

"I'm humanity's sword."

How ridiculously pretentious. "Forget the introduction. Let's just get this over with."

The Cerberus agent grinned, swinging his weapon. "Fine by me," he declared, and charged.

Kara began with an attempt at a biotic field, which his barriers dissipated. Then she met him head on. His armor was heavier than hers, more cumbersome, like his weapon. She dodged several swings that came closer than she liked, before she managed to catch his sword arm, punching him twice in the face before slamming his arm into her knee. The sword fell from his hand. He tried more than once to retrieve his it, but she prevented the maneuver, forcing him to fight on her terms. He was still dangerous, but no match for her.

When the opportunity presented itself, she twisted his arm behind his back and tossed him head-first into a console. He did not get up, but she injected him with a sedative from her battlefield medkit, just to be sure. There was never a good time to have an enemy at one's back, and they would soon to be under siege.

"Turrets are online," Tali announced proudly, just as Ashley burst through the door.

"Shepard," the black-haired marine declared. "They're here."

* * *

><p>Kara had taken to glancing up the tactical display at random intervals. The cruiser was a problem, and not easily dealt with, considering her resources were limited to an infiltration frigate and a light tank. It remained in low stationary orbit over the base, watching and waiting for her to make a move. Essentially she was trapped, out of contact with the <em>Normandy<em>. The _ke'val_ could not outrun a ship in orbit, at least not on the ground, and leaving the atmosphere would put it in range of the a swarm of interceptors.

So far, she had discovered that it was a light cruiser, a modified version of a mothballed Alliance class from thirty years ago. A ship of its size could land under Binthu's moderate gravity, which presented possibilities. A starship in atmosphere had to lower its barriers, and sacrificed significant maneuverability, making an assault by the _Normandy_ into a real possibility. Persuading it to enter range of the base's GARDIAN lasers could also work, though it seemed likely to drop the defeat enemy on their heads.

Tali had suggested using the Cerberus agent, either willingly, or by faking his voice. His name, acquired from his omnitool, was Kai Leng, a former N7 operative whom Cerberus had busted out of prison. He hadn't kept records of what he did to get discharged and locked up, but it was easy enough to guess at it being some sort of anti-alien hate crime. Whatever it was, one did not earn an N7 designation without being extremely dangerous. She had stripped him of equipment and locked him in a containment cell, along with his surviving troops. She doubted he could be convinced to cooperate, which was why she told Tali to get started, while she attempted to discern just what the rogue organization was doing with the base.

From what she discovered, Cerberus had been doing experiments on something they called Thorian Creepers, emaciated creatures, not unlike an organic version of Sovereign's husks; humanoid bodies converted into mindless slaves through biochemical, rather than cybernetic, processes. They had intended to use them in their trap, but her rapid assault had ruined their plan. In the end, though, it seemed that Leng wanted the pleasure of defeating her all to himself, and for that reason alone they might have failed.

Cerberus had purchased the Creepers from ExoGeni corporation, a name which did not mean much to her. She knew the type, though. ExoGeni was a 'frontier corp', a company that specialized in founding colonies on credit, and then exploiting their legally-bound subjects for every credit. Brynja had come from such a world, ravaged by loan payments and piracy.

This colony was on Feros, however, in the Attican Beta cluster, not far from the Terminus systems. Once again it was unfamiliar, but the base had an extensive library. The planet was dominated by Prothean ruins, little of which had survived the last fifty thousand years intact. The chance of locating a valuable artifact explained ExoGeni's willingness to set up a colony so far from Alliance space, but they had clearly discovered something more. A Thorian? Whatever it was that turned colonists into Creepers, at any rate.

First Saren, then the Geth. Now she found herself contemplating a hostile investigation of ExoGeni. She'd never come closer to walking away than she had five weeks ago on the Citadel, while she waited to learn the Council's decision. Now, she found her self-image turning again into the heroine, ready to fucking tilt at windmills. It didn't matter that she always managed to win, she hated the role, the presumption, and the admiration from those who hadn't a clue what any of it meant, the very same people whose inaction made hers feel necessary.

"Tali, are you done yet?" she asked, hoping to smother her bitter anger in activity, or at least distraction.

"Just about, Kara," the Quarian muttered, leaning over one of the operations consoles. "I've managed to write a filter into the communications protocols. Anyone speaking through it should sound just like Leng, but it isn't ready yet…"

Kara sat down in the next chair, and watched her in silence for a moment. She had an intensity about her when focused on her work, and the results were always excellent. Her combat skills had also continued to improve, with the benefit of some STG training. She had killed her share of Cerberus troops.

Kara sighed. It wasn't what she wanted, to turn an innocent young adult Quarian into a _soldier_. A killer. "You've come along on a couple of missions now, Tali. Is it what you expected?"

The Quarian turned her head. "Sort of," she said. "It's exciting, I guess, but the blood is pretty awful. Taking out Geth is just so… clean."

"The first time I killed anyone," Kara said, smiling faintly, "I threw up."

Tali half-nodded. "Cybernetic stomach," she noted. "There are lots of things you can't do when stuck in a suit all the time. Anyway, you got used to it."

"It's not something I'm proud of, Tali."

"No," Tali agreed, entering a few holographic keystrokes into her console, before turning back to Kara. "I'm not sure I understand it, either, but I don't really understand you. Not that I don't like you. I do. You're, uh, sweet, but, uh…" she trailed off, resuming her work as though embarrassed. "And, uh, done."

Kara smiled. "Thanks, Tali. Let's give it a try."

Tali switched on the system, and Kara contacted the cruiser in orbit. She knew they'd only get once chance.

"_What is it you want, Shepard_," the captain responded.

"This is Leng," Kara replied. "Shepard is secure. Land the ship so we can bring her aboard."

"_Of course, sir,_" the captain said.

Kara closed the channel. It seemed that their Cerberus agent was not the type to let his orders be questioned. The cruiser began to move immediately. "We'll wait until they're within two kilometers before opening fire," she said. "Tali, if they manage to land, we'll have to make a run for it in the _ke'val_. Let Ashley and Ilan'ne know to be prepared."

"Of course, Kara," the Quarian nodded.

She hoped this would work.

* * *

><p>"<em>Ma'am, the Normandy's HO fuel reserves have been refilled, and we've transferred all the supplies we have space for. We're back to two months worth of food, water, and so on, except for Turian rations. Doctor Chakwas and Orlanis have checked everything for surprises, and its all clean._"

Kara nodded at Keyx's image on the small ops display. "Good. We'll join you once I've spoken to Kahoku, and Leng is secured."

"Aye, ma'am," he nodded. She closed the channel.

Kara leaned back in her chair. After two days of restless waiting, she found herself in dire need of some sort of forward motion. Saren could remain in hiding indefinitely, while his followers sought whatever lead he needed to move forward. It wasn't enough to wait for him to act, not any more. She needed to anticipate. Beyond another Prothean beacon, she had no conception of what might complete the visions, but she did have an expert on the long-extinct species. She would ask Liara at the next opportunity.

She slid her headset back over her ear; "Ashley, tell Kahoku I want to see him now." She suspected that the admiral had delayed their meeting as an attempt to establish a dominant position. Such games were a waste of time, and served only to annoy her. "Mention that we've rigged the base reactor to overload."

Given that she did not have the forces to secure the base, and did not trust the Alliance to do so for her, it was her only option. The Cerberus prisoners would be transferred to the _Isandlwana_, and hopefully end up in a cell somewhere, though Harper would no doubt have Leng freed again. They would be denied the base, at least.

"_We're on our way, sir,_" the black-haired marine replied.

Kara did not have long to wait before the greying admiral, wearing armor and flanked by a pair of marines, arrived. He waved for the marines to wait outside the control center. "Shepard, you're not going to blow this place," he began brusquely.

"I'm in charge here, Kahoku," Kara stated quietly, before settling in to watch him in silence. After the ambush he ordered on Edolus, she had no intention of following his orders, even had she entirely trusted him. He disapproval of her actions was not resolved by their mutual dislike of Cerberus, or their need to work together.

"Cerberus is a human problem, Spectre. As the ranking Alliance officer present, this base is my responsibility. I appreciate your help, but I'll take it from here."

She shook her head. "The Alliance is incapable of stopping Cerberus," she said, pointing him to a nearby chair. "The Defense Committee prefers to cooperate with them."

Kahoku's eyes narrowed as he stared at her. "You'd better have evidence to back up an assertion like that."

"Of course," she said, smiling faintly. Leng's omnitool held more information about wider Cerberus operations than the base's mainframe, including records of Jack Harper's plan to capture her. It was careless of him to keep them, perhaps too careless, but the details fit the narrative she expected.

Twenty-eight days had passed since Kara had first contacted Kahoku about the failed ambush on Edolus. The trip from Arcturus Station to Binthu took eleven days, leaving a short span of seventeen days for his investigation, long enough to draw the attention of Cerberus and the Defense Committee both. When he contacted the Shadow Broker, Harper knew immediately, though he did not know what information the Admiral received, or what he agreed to pay.

Kahoku had gone to his CO, Admiral Steven Hackett, with the information, but neither man could authorize a raid beyond Alliance space without permission from the Defense Committee. So, expecting support, they had gone before it. They had refused, citing political concerns over sending even a small fleet so far into the Traverse. This was no more than fifteen days earlier, while just as pirate raids on the outer colonies were increasing, and the point was fair; it was a bad time to risk further antagonizing the Batarians.

Events did not stop there, however. The Committee contacted Harper, or the other way around, and together they reached an accord; Cerberus could eliminate Admiral Kahoku, and in exchange Kara would be turned over to the Alliance. The hit squad on Arcturus Station forced Kahoku to abandon proper channels, and turn to her for aid. The Binthu base was emptied of valuable personnel and turned into a trap, plans for which were finalized in the last few days.

Leng knew that the _Normandy_, its position tracked through the comm network to the Armstrong Cluster, would arrive first. She could be isolated and trapped, then used to force her crew into surrendering. Once they had been secured, Cerberus might have attempted the same trick on Kahoku and the _Isandlwana_.

It took her two hours to go through the evidence, allowing the admiral to decide the implications of each piece for himself. When she finished, he sat quietly, just watching her. He had almost certainly wondered if she could be trusted, a valid concern from his perspective. Did he believe that her dislike of the Alliance would lead her to fabricate evidence against it? If so, there was little she could do to win him over. No, he would reject her every word as propaganda, and all the evidence tainted by her touch.

He would accept custody of Leng and the others, and return to the Alliance, where he would quickly find himself under attack from the Committee. They would have no choice; not knowing what evidence he might have gathered of their involvement, they had to discredit him before he could act. Association with her, disobeying orders, even risking an escalation of conflict with the Batarians, all were potential charges that the majority of humanity might accept.

Kara frowned, running her fingers through hair much in need of washing. "Admiral, you don't have a choice in this. You either trust me, or you end up in an Alliance prison cell."

"What is it you want of me, Shepard?"

"If the Defense Committee is working with Cerberus, it is your duty as an Alliance officer to oppose it."

Kahoku's brown eyes closed, and he sighed heavily. He looked exhausted, worn down by recent events, much as Kara felt. "I'm not sure I can."

"Then who will?" There were some likely candidates, officers she had worked with who regarded the Alliance with skepticism. Most were junior officers, lieutenants and commanders. As usual, the most reactive elements of humanity were the most powerful. For hundreds of years, they had profited themselves by oppressing the greater part of the species, so it was little surprise that they turned their gaze on the vast expanse of the galaxy. The Alliance itself was their institution, however, and could not be effectively used against them. They could be turned temporarily against Cerberus, however, for long enough to dismantle it. "Admiral, if you want Cerberus stopped, this is your chance. Take it."

"You have a plan?"

Kara shook her head. "No. This is your battle, not mine. I can't fight it for you."

* * *

><p>You ever get the feeling that the Alliance is going to end up under attack from all sides? How am I going to resolve the battle for the Citadel without the help of large numbers of humans? Stick around if you want answers. And why not write a review while you're waiting?<p> 


	20. Fractures

Another month and a half. I started rewriting this chapter something like six times, but I kept coming back to this version, the original. I feel like things are starting to come together behind the scenes; but there's quite a bit yet to be decided.

Thanks for the reviews, anyway-and the patience. For those of you who don't know, I recently published my take on ME2's first meeting with TIM, featuring Kara, sucked through a space-time quantum singularity warp anomaly thingy and deposited unceremoniously in the canon universe. Check out 'Shooting Canon' for that.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER TWENTY<br>_Fractures_

When she finally returned to the ship, Kara was in no mood for romance. Frustrated, angry, and ready to snap, she made a point of carefully stripping off and cleaning her armor, before heading for the showers. Neither ritual gave her much comfort, but they delayed her at least, as she had no wish to vent upon some innocent party, Liara least of all. Dressed in clean clothes, she made her way to the command deck, where Garrus informed her that the _Normandy_ was nearing the relay, that the _Isandlwana_ had already departed, and that Tali's overload of the Cerberus base reactor had gone smoothly. Kahoku never quite accepted her authority over him, but ultimately he lacked the means to argue his point, and now there was nothing left of the facility for the Alliance or the terrorist group to salvage.

To her, it remained the right choice. She had given Kahoku some of Cerberus' notes regarding the Thorian creatures, mostly detailing the experiments they performed, without including the results, or any mention of the creatures' origins. Like the Reaper spikes that turned organic bodies into cybernetic husks, it was not something she would comfortably allow anyone access to. The temptation for disposable soldiers was always too great to resist. A non-militaristic imperial culture like the Alliance demanded war to secure dominance, but feared the effect of casualties on public opinion, and so were always seeking ways to kill risk-free.

At any rate, the _Normandy_ had begun the day-long journey. As usually, she had no vital role to play, so she determined that her time would be best spent by giving Liara her full attention, even if she could always find some new report to read. They had yet to enjoy much in the way of time together, outside of the training room, or discussing the business of the day. She needed, for Liara's sake as much as her own, the chance to be sure of her feelings before they moved forward.

With that plan, such as it was, she retired to her cabin as soon as Garrus finished his briefing. Liara was studying something on the computer console when Kara arrived, which demanded enough of her attention that she did not seem to notice. Her soft profile, concentration evident in the tight line of her lips and her furrowed forehead, was lit by the harsh light of the display, which somehow succeeded only in improving her beauty.

Kara smiled. The last of her earlier mood was washed away in her appreciation of the Asari's intelligence and dedication. They were more a part of Liara's beauty than the contours of her face. "Excuse me, Doctor T'Soni?"

"Hm?" Liara's concentration endured for several seconds, before falling to a grin of recognition, quickly suppressed. "Kara."

"Yes?"

"I, uh, I wanted to, um—"

Kara liked that Liara seemed to be having trouble collecting her thoughts, and settled herself on the Asari's lap. "Go on," she teased, sliding her fingers up the folds at the back of the alien scientist's neck in an effort at continued distraction.

"Mm… Kara… stop that, please."

Frowning, Kara let her hand drop. She tried to think if she had missed some sign of discomfort and distress from her partner. If they existed, she had pushed forward obliviously, too caught up in her own desired to even notice. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"No, no apologies," Liara insisted. "I was on the bridge when you went down to Binthu. I wanted to make sure you were safe, I guess, though there was little I could do, and when that cruiser jumped in, I thought, 'This is it. I'll never see her again.' You were right." The Asari let out an unhappy sigh. "We should never have let ourselves feel this way."

Kara stood, but there were no windows to stare out of; just four blank walls, and one unhappy Asari. "It's too late for that, Liara," she sighed. Their relationship was new and unexplored, much her favorite part of anything, and she found that she feared its ending. How could she hold on, though, when that same choice—to leave behind the first person who had ever loved her—had made so much of her. She had no knowledge of what fate had befallen her lover across all those years, but she felt sure that her own fate, stuck on Arcturus Station until she came of age, would have been nothing other than mediocrity.

"Kara, I want to be with you, but what happens when you confront my mother? What if you have to kill her? What if she kills you? If I feel this badly now, how would I ever endure losing you? I'm not sure its worth the risk."

"I don't know," Kara sighed. Her voice sounded empty and cold, like her chest. She wanted to beg, like any sensible person, for Liara's favor. For one more hour where she could say, 'I am hers.' "I don't want to lose you, but… do what is best for you."

Liara stood, smiling sadly as she placed what felt like a last kiss on Kara's lips. "I was all prepared for you to yell at me. It's so much harder, this way."

"I still trust you, Liara. I don't believe you mean to hurt me."

"_Satharii_. Kara, I have to go. Now." Liara turned away, and then she was gone, though the door and into the mess.

Alone, Kara collapsed against the nearest wall, and sank to the floor. She had known better than to begin a relationship at such a critical time, but she had given in, allowing human desire to dictate her actions. Human weakness. She was supposed to be beyond such things, in control of her actions and emotions. Disciplined, logical, and principled. It felt as though all three were crashing down around her.

* * *

><p>Thankfully, her self-control did not fail her entirely. She cried for a time, a welcome release of not only the fresh sorrow of her breakup, but a month's worth of frustration. She sat for an hour or more before the tears stopped, and she cleaned herself up in the forward washroom, before returning her cabin and sleeping fitfully. Liara featured in all her dreams, but she remembered only vague and sensual hints. She awoke early, her head filled with the taste of the Asari's skin and her own uncomfortable arousal.<p>

She washed the half-remembered fantasies away with a brief, cold shower, before settling in the mess with a datapad and what she hoped was a look of concentration, though her thoughts were anything but focused. If she could not sort herself out, she wondered who she might assign to lead the ground team, and if ExoGeni might accept them as her deputy. Garrus, maybe; she needed someone capable of leading an investigation. Liara would need to go, to assess any Prothean technology they uncovered—imagining the young Asari in danger without her nearby added a knot of anxiety to her depression. Wrex, then, to see to her safety?

No; it was her mission, and her responsibility. It could not be passed off. She needed to refocus, and her best chance of that was to throw herself into martial discipline, a tactic which had worked for her in the past. It had saved her after Elysium, and the skills she honed were valuable enough in her line of work. It was also better than endless brooding. She sighed, collected herself and her thoughts, and made ready to leave the mess.

"Shepard, we need to talk."

Caught up as she was in her own thoughts, Kara had not noticed the arrival of the first-watch crew. She should have absented herself earlier, and avoided the unwanted conversation, or confrontation, if she read Keyx's expression right. "What about?"

"It's common knowledge among the crew that you're an, um—"

She found his hesitation irritating, exacerbated by his crude attempts at dominance. She frowned up at him. "Get on with it."

"—I want to know your intentions towards the Alliance."

She almost laughed. "My intentions are to see that it follow its own laws. Is that a problem?"

"No, ma'am," he insisted. Oh, of course not. Except, the entire conversation was about her sending Kahoku to confront the Defense Committee about its criminal acts. "It's just that you're, uh—"

"An Anarchist?" Kara finished. Surely the term was not so menacing as all that. It was also overly broad. She generally considered the Asari system to be effective and egalitarian, while the Alliance concealed a corrupt class dictatorship beneath a façade of democracy. She favored rebuilding human society on a cooperative model, with as little central oversight as could be managed. Governments, after all, inevitably reflected the interests of those who ran them.

"And that means you're willing to see the Defense Committee come under fire while half the pirates in the Terminus systems are launching raids against our colonies? We'll be lucky if the Batarians don't launch a full scale invasion. You're not being principled, just irresponsible, and I didn't sign on for that. It's time you backed off, and stopped interfering with the Alliance."

Kara could not have imagined a worse time for yet another crises. Including Keyx, a third of the ship's remaining human crew were in the mess, all of them focused on their argument, and most sympathetic to her former XO's cause. She tried to think of what might make a convincing argument, but the acceptance of government corruption was so deeply ingrained in human culture that it was difficult to know where to begin.

"Come on, sir," Moreau interrupted, "it isn't like you can blame her for the Committee's actions. All the Alliance had to do was sit back for six months and accept the Council's praise for letting us use the _Normandy_, while the ship got one hell of a test flight. Instead, they went full stupid." He was nearly the last person on the ship who she would have expected to back her, hardly even interested in the politics of the mission at all, just as long as she kept him at the helm.

"That's even less funny than your standard routine, Joker. Maybe you should go back to masturbating over cheap porn, and leave politics to the grown-ups. This isn't an ordinary frigate, it's a classified prototype, and it's unreasonable to expect that the Alliance would hand it over willingly."

"He's right, though, Keyx," Greg Adams replied. "If they'd gone along with the Captain from the beginning, they could've set a few terms. We'd still have a full Alliance crew, and be on the payroll."

Evidently, Keyx agreed that the engineer had made a good point, for he sat down near the older officer. The debate had passed her by, and she was grateful for it. "When has Shepard ever followed the rules?"

"Often enough, or she would never have made it this far," Adams said. "The Alliance chose to put her forward as a Spectre candidate, just as we chose to follow her."

"I didn't agree to put Earth at risk, Lieutenant," added auburn-haired Maria Corine, one of Adams' engineers, her softly attractive features twisted in a scowl.

"The Cerberus and the Defense Committee put Earth at risk, not Kara," Brynja declared, seating herself between Kara and the rest of the crew. She was fresh from the shower, her hair loose and dark with moisture. "Kara may not always do what is _convenient_, but you can count on her to do what is right."

Beneath the table, the blond's hand briefly squeezed Kara's leg. Did she know what had happened with Liara?

"You're biased," Keyx said flatly.

Brynja shrugged. "Sure. I'm also capable of having nuanced opinions. You're worried about consequences? Cerberus is a fucking terrorist organization dedicated to human dominance—collaborating with them is likely to get us all killed. We need people like her, who won't tolerate our bigotry and ignorance. How many of you had even met an alien before this mission? Spectre Kryik terrified me, but, goddess, so did Kara, at first. I _like_ Garrus. I even like Wrex. I'd fight to defend either one from Cerberus."

"So would I," Keyx said. "They're our friends, and not the issue. The Alliance is under attack by pirates, with the Batarians watching for any sign of weakness. The information Admiral Kahoku is bringing back could fracture our leadership, maybe even start a civil war. What do you think those pirates and Batarians would do then?"

Brynja sighed. "If you're asking when to abandon principle for compromise, I don't know. It's never a simple choice, but Kara does her best, and she's done a damn good job so far. A lot better than you would have done in her place."

That seemed to shut Keyx up, at least for the present. Kara trusted that he would continue to do his job, but his assessment was not far off. War with the Batarians looked almost inevitable. Even with the Alliance at full strength, it would not be an easy victory, and it became more likely to end in defeat the longer a war dragged on. Humanity did not have the resource base for a sustained conflict.

Kara picked up her data pad and stood. She had not needed yet another problem to further depress her mood.

* * *

><p>Saren had extensive assets. The scope of his secret base on Virmire, built before his Alliance with the Geth, was proof enough of that, but his sealed records with the Council showed only a pittance. The files Tali recovered created a much more complete picture of the Spectre. He held shares in multiple Turian companies, including several armor and weapon manufacturers, and some that specialized in the study of artifacts from previous cycles—what the galaxy assumed were Prothean, but could also include pieces of Reaper origin. His assets extended to several human corporations, some of which supplied him with Krogan armors. ExoGeni was listed, presumably because of its Prothean research.<p>

If that were so, then they were unlikely to have anything useful towards her goal of stopping Sovereign. As long as she was digging through their records for signs of Cerberus connections, there was little harm in looking, however. They might finding something Saren had overlooked, a scrap of information even. Unfortunately, she had no idea what to look for, and was not really on speaking terms with her Prothean expert.

Kara sighed, and rubbed at her aching arms. She had pushed herself hard, and gained only a temporary reprieve. That was love, she supposed, but Liara's expertise was essential. She needed to set her feelings aside, and establish a professional relationship with the young Asari, or there was a real danger of failing in her mission. For all her effort, and the dedication of her crew, they were no substitute for years of study.

Sighing, her pushed away from her desk, adjusting her shirt as she stood. They would arrive at Feros during the night, but the planet had a thirty-hour day which, at ExoGeni's facilities near the colony of Zhu's Hope, would be at midday at the start of first-watch. She would start her investigation then, and needed to be sure that Liara would be ready to come with.

Kara paused briefly in the mess on her way through to sickbay. Most of first watch was about again, this time engaged in what had become an almost daily poker game. The quick memories of the Salarians—only one of them was playing now—made them formidable opponents, until one realized that they were not all that adept at bluffing, at least during social situations. Greg, with two of them on his engineering team, had learned to read them, judging by the number of chips he had gathered. Karen held her own, but she had taken courses in xenobiology, where such useful details might have been covered in passing.

Jeff was losing quite badly, as was, Maria. Brynja observed, seated on the tabled for a better view. She smiled at Kara, but did not move to get up.

Kara smiled back, and moved to the infirmary. She had attempted to join in several times, but didn't really care for the game, and persistently failed to pay proper attention to it. Naturally, she lost, and she did not like losing. That was, she supposed, why she didn't like poker.

"Captain. What can I do for you?"

"Is Liara back in the storage room, Ehigha?"

The young doctor sighed, a disapproving frown on his lips. "Yes. She seemed quite despondent, sir. She's hardly left since she came in last night. I don't know what happened between you, but it needs to be resolved."

Was his disapproval directed at her, or Liara? "Is there something you want to say to me?"

"No, sir." He could bluff his way through a game of poker quite well, but she read him better than that. He did blame her, for Liara's mood, and for allowing the relationship to begin with.

"How is Sayuri doing?" Kara inquired, not interested in defending herself when she accepted the mistake.

"I'm sure you've seen Doctor Chakwas' report."

Indeed, Karen had pronounced the Japanese sergeant physically recovered, and ready for a cybernetic prosthetic. A replacement leg would be ready and waiting on the Citadel in a few days, if it had not arrived already. Kara nodded shortly.

"She may have saved the rest of us by taking out that Colossus, but in her mind Ajuna's life is the one that matters. She blames herself, even though she laughs it off," he told her, swiveling slowing in his chair. "She's having a harder time adjusting to that burden than the loss of her leg, but I don't believe she's at risk."

"I agree," Kara said. After she finished on Feros, she would have to take the _Normandy_ back to the Citadel, and not just for Sayuri's sake. That would be a thirteen day journey, making, for some, nearly a month and a half without leaving the ship. She closed her eyes briefly, running her fingers through her hair. "Excuse me."

"Sir," Ehigha nodded, turning back to his work, as Kara made her way down the length of the room.

After her rescue from Saren's Geth on Therum, Liara had been given the small office and storage room on the forward end of the sickbay. Karen had suggested it, thinking it would grant the young archeologist some privacy in which to recover, as well as somewhere to work. With the crew suspicious of her, and her none too certain about them, it made good sense. Kara tapped the control for the chime.

She sighed, brushing at her hair again. And what did she say?

The door slid open, and Kara stepped over the threshold quickly. Liara rose out of her chair when she saw who had come, her expression a complicated reflection of emotional turmoil.

"Kara," she breathed softly, uncertain. She sank back into her seat at the door closed. "I… I haven't changed my mind."

"I didn't come for that."

"No, I suppose not," the young Asari muttered, looking down at her hands. "I thought… _expected_ you to say more, and I find I don't understand. If you loved me, why not fight for me?"

"How?" Kara demanded, folding her arms across her chest. Her fingers, concealed from the Asari, drummed anxiously against her side. She should have sent a note, not come herself, and avoided this conversation. "Did you want me to talk you down? I don't play that sort of game."

"No! _Satharii_. I am _not_ a child. I meant what I said, but I am not so stubborn that my opinion cannot be changed."

Kara sighed. "Liara, we aren't destined for each other. We just fell in love, and you asked the question; is it worth it? You answered no. Words can't change that."

"No."

Perhaps Liara understood that, regardless of how she felt now, it was too late to change her mind. Kara couldn't take the risk again, not with so much at stake.

"I need you suited up and ready to go by seven-thirty hours tomorrow," Kara said. "And we need to talk about the Protheans. If there's anything you know—anywhere we should look, or some artifact that may help us, to find out more about the conduit or the Reapers—I need to hear about it."

"I've been attempting to find some answers, Captain, but I've had little success. The Reapers did a thorough job of exterminating the Protheans, and cleaning up after themselves."

"Have you been to Feros?"

Liara shook her head. "I've studied some of the artifacts discovered there, but the planet has been picked over for centuries. I specialized in more obscure ruins." She smiled, at some pleasant memory. Kara suppressed a desire to kiss her.

"I have to go," she muttered, opening the door and escaping before the Asari could respond.

* * *

><p>Kara locked the door to her cabin behind her, and leaned, frustrated, against the interior hull. She was beginning to hate being a Spectre, hate being in command all the time. She hated her own inflexibility, and how isolated she had begun to feel. She should never have let Liara go. Elessa had been right; she needed someone, but instead of holding on to what she had, as if it mattered, she had let it slip from her fingers. Stupid. Any sensible woman would have begged.<p>

She took a deep breath, and brought up her music selection on her omnitool. Nothing Asari, she decided; she did not need the reminder. Not human either. Quarian. Their orchestral pieces had a way of evoking the peaceful solitude of the Rannochai deserts, wide and rough, broken by wind-carved pillars of rock that displayed an astonishing array of browns, ranging from red-orange to golden. She had only ever seen pictures. She wondered what the Geth, with their machine intelligence, made of those plains, or the blue-green vegetation that surrounded the springs and rivers. Did they see any value in it?

Laying down on the bed, she allowed herself to be carried away by the echoing wind instruments the Quarians most favored. It was an easy, pleasant feeling, and she found herself wondering; when the remains of the Quarian military decided to retreat from Rannoch, along with what elements of the civilian population could be loaded onto what ships they had, what became of those who were left behind? Did they surrender, or fight to the end? Was it possible that some survived, and lived in peace with the Geth for the last three hundred years?

This idle fantasy was shattered by the bleeping of the door chime. She hissed in annoyance, and rolled to her feet.

"Kara," Brynja muttered, sliding past her as soon as she opened the door.

"This isn't a good time," Kara said, turning to follow the blond.

"I know, I'm sorry, but you could use a friend about now, and you're too damn stubborn to ask. Well, here I am, and if you want me gone, you'll have to bloody well throw me out."

Kara tried to hide a smile, with limited success. She shook her head. "You win."

"Do I? Good. I wouldn't want to create a scene," she smirked, sitting on the edge of the bed. Her hair was down again, framing her face in silver. "How are you feeling?"

"I've a crew that doubts my judgement, and a lover who thinks I'm not worth the risk. I'm beginning to feel like I went about this all wrong. What do you think?"

"I think you need a better crew."

It was a cheap answer, but drew a smile from her regardless.

Brynja grinned, but only briefly. "Have a seat," she said, indicating the chair. Kara sat beside her on the bed.

"I meant what I told the others. We live in a system that everyone knows is broken. We're told so by all the major news outlets, though they each blame someone different, and we go along because they tell us it isn't feasible to fix it. Because of you, I see cracks in what I believed impenetrable. What I expected to spend my life defending. And that system did more damage to my homeworld that the Batarians ever will. If your story can inspire a generation of radicals like you have me, then we may get something better. If not, we'll still have saved the galaxy."

Kara sighed, and gently brushed Brynja's hair back, tucking the pale strands behind her small ear. "Will you stay awhile, and keep me company?" she asked softly. It was a poor idea, considering how she felt, and how beautiful the young blond looked, leaning into the touch of her hand. Seeking comfort in sex would be easy, but she did not dare risk the only friend she seemed to have. Not for a few moments distraction.

"I'd like that. Kara," Brynja said, sifting position to one that faced her more directly, "I mean to speak with Liara. She'll see that you're worth any risk. Until then, I have to accept that you're still hers."

Kara nodded. Even if she convinced herself otherwise, she would likely be too pleased with Liara's return to reject her. Still, she leaned against Brynja's shoulder and closed her eyes. The listened in silence to rest of the symphony.

* * *

><p>Once again, thanks for reading. If you're enjoying this story, or not, leave a review and let me know why. We appreciate any comments. I'll be back when I figure out what to do with Feros.<p> 


	21. Control

There is something that has bothered me about the ME universe ever since I noticed it, when I played the third game: The Asari were taught writing and arithmetic fifty thousand years ago. Humanity learned it for themselves less than ten thousand years ago. The Salarians evolved intelligence, invented space flight, and joined the interstellar community in about forty thousand years. All three have roughly equal technology.

I rewrote Asari ancient history while writing Ch. 16(the Maiden); but I realized the section was mostly me ranting through Liara, so it got removed. I was thinking of touching it up.

Eh. Responses. alienyouthct; I take your point, and am attempting to do better.

Gen. Joseph; I have a cunning plan.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE<br>_Control_

Fifty thousand years ago, an expansive Prothean city covered almost a quarter of the Feros' surface, housing a population that might have numbered in the tens of billions. From orbit, it was a grey world, the air choked with dust. About three hundred humans lived at the colony of Zhu's Hope, occupying parts of a skyscraper that had survived both the Reaper's cleansing of the planet, and fifty millennia of weathering. Their main occupation was scouring the ruins for valuable artifacts, which ExoGeni took as payment for funding the colony, but they also grew most of their own food in hydroponics pods.

The frontier corporation had set up a research facility in a neighboring tower, headed by a man named Ethan Jeong. From what Kara had seen of his records, he had a degree in management, and no specific knowledge of Protheans or archeology, which certainly made him stand out. With limited on-site resources, and a twelve-day journey between Feros and ExoGeni's headquarters, she would have expected someone qualified in the facility's primary subjects.

"Brynja, would you lock out the local comm relays with my Spectre authorization," Kara said. "I'd rather not have Jeong calling HQ for orders. Let him stand on his own."

"Yes, ma'am," the blond said, briefly smiling up at her. She hissed in irritation as the console beeped at her. "It isn't programmed to accept Council commands. It'll take me a few minutes to hack my way in, but I can still shut them down."

They were still well outside of Council space, so that was not a surprise, though it did mean that ExoGeni went to extra effort of reformatting the entire local beacon network, and installing their own software. It further hinted at their having something to hide. "That's fine."

"You will be careful, right? You know what frontier corps can be like."

Kara laid her hand on Brynja's shoulder. The blond's concern was understandable, given her first-hand experience with the type. She did not expect the facility's small security force, meant to repel small and poorly organized pirate gangs, to pose much threat to her team, but that did not mean she would let down her guard. "I will."

"I've never wanted to suit up and go with you before, but I wish I could this once, just to watch you kick their asses."

"Then I'd worry about you."

"I'm in. Locking out access for everyone but us." Brynja shook her head, smiling softly. "You'd need to; I don't think I'd be much good in a firefight."

The young blond's psych profile did recommend her to the relative quiet of space combat, where death came with less warning, and one never saw the enemy bleed. It was a different kind of courage, but no less valuable. "I've more need of skilled bridge officers than another marine."

"Thanks," Brynja nodded.

"Jeff, bring the ship down at the Zhu's Hope port as soon as Brynja is done. I'll be in the armory."

* * *

><p>They were met at the doors of the ExoGeni facility by pair of mercenaries, dressed in cheap armor and sporting bored expressions. One of them spoke into a headset when he spotted then, pulling his assault rifle from his shoulder holster, and stepping out in front of the doors. The image of a naked woman, straddling a Krogan skull, adorned his right arm. The juxtaposition of sex and violence was fairly common among pirate gangs, which, when they could find work, sometimes doubled as mercenary groups. They were not the most reliable variety of hired killer, but they came cheap, and rarely asked questions.<p>

They were still too far away for Kara to make of what he said, but she assumed he had called for instructions, and possibly backup. He would likely assume the worst, from his employer's perspective, given the quality of their equipment—a Council sanctioned investigation of their activities. She thought to confirm it quickly, and let them panic. "Council Spectre Shepard," she declared, before he could challenge her, "here to investigate this facility's involvement with anthrosupremacist terrorists."

He stood his ground, scowling defiantly. "Feros is outside of Council jurisdiction. You have no authority here."

He was half right, but Spectres were not limited to operating in Council space. An Alliance-based corporation and an anti-Council hate group clearly fell under her authority regardless of location. "That's for the person in charge to decide. You will take me to him." She let her hand drift near to her pistol, hooking her thumb under her utility belt. His eyes followed the gesture warily. Whatever the letter of the law, it was ultimately up to each individual to decide what authority she had over them, and up to her to enforce her rule with violence if they refused.

"My orders are not to let—" he paused, his head tilting slightly. Receiving new orders. "Go right in," he continued, moving to one side. "Chief Torres is waiting inside."

Kara kept eye contact with him until she walked past. She found something about him oddly discomfiting. It wasn't his taste in heraldry—that bothered her on a much more conscious level.

"He's going to be a problem," Garrus said, when the door closed behind them. "Should I tell Lieutenant Septalus to prepare her team?"

So he felt it, too. They had discussed the idea of securing the tower earlier, and it did present some benefits. However, she had hoped to coax the truth out of some reluctant employee, and they were less likely to talk when sitting in a cell. The pirates-turned-mercenaries would be unlikely to go up against a Spectre, if they could avoid it, so she judged a trap to be unlikely "No, not yet. Stay alert, though."

The doors opened out into a short corridor, the bluish-grey walls patched in places, and the floor cleared of debris. Presumably a team of structural engineers had gone over the tower, if only to make sure it was in no danger of collapse. Any other upkeep could be performed by the resident scientists in their spare time.

After about ten meters, the corridor ended in a false wall, put up to herd visitors into a side room, which served as a lobby and security checkpoint. Part of one wall had been knocked out, and the hole fitted with a security barrier, allowing cleared individuals to bypass the blockade. Behind a narrow desk slouched a man in medium armor, the ExoGeni logo on his chest. His grey eyes regarded her steadily, from a face that appeared on the young side of middle age.

"Chief Torres."

"Commander Shepard," he said, nodding in confirmation. "I'm afraid we've been unable to confirm your Spectre status. The comm relay shut down an hour ago. You wouldn't know anything about that, right?"

"If you suspect us of being common pirates, why let us get this far?"

"Oh, I know who you are, Shepard. Alliance brass is keen on letting their subjects know just what you're to blame for. That's everything from their boring sex lives to Batarian imperial ambitions, if you believe them." He shrugged irritably. "Politicians. Feh."

That was the declaration of a horde of would-be skeptics, and it did not give her hope. It was the hipsterism of political critiques, more fashion than substance, lacking depth or originality despite its claims to independence. "Just tell me what you intend."

"My orders are to hold you here. If I don't follow orders, I don't get paid…"

Garrus laughed. "This scumbag wants a bribe."

Kara stared at the security chief. She did not trust people that sold their loyalty for money, but at least mercenaries knew not to betray a contract. ExoGeni had hired a man who lacked even that wisdom. "How much?"

"Five hundred thousand credits," he said, scratching his stubbled cheek, "and the boys and I stay out of your way."

That was as much as he and his entire team of mercenaries made in a year, she guessed, and more than she could afford. The Council paid her expenses, which included equipment and crew but they would not be keen to pay out bribes. Neither was she. "I don't think you understand the alternatives, Torres," she said, turning away. Her eyes met Liara's, and she found herself smiling. "There's no chance of my walking away. Either you shut down that security field and let me pass, or I shoot you and do it myself."

"Fucking cunt. Do you get that my career is on the line?"

Kara swung back to face the man, snarling. "You won't care if you're dead."

Fuck. Garrus was staring at her in shock, while Torres looked as if he were trying to decide if he shoot should first, or wait for her to draw her pistol. In a moment, he would realize that he was outnumbered, and had to move decisively. So much for a peaceful mission.

"Uh, Chief Torres, I'm sure your superiors would understand, if you could prove you were acting in the best interests of the corporation as a whole," Liara said, stepping in front of Kara, her soft voice cutting through the tense silence.

Torres breathed softly, and laid his hands on the desk. "You have evidence, I presume."

"Records from Cerberus," Garrus said, bringing up the relevant files on his omnitool, "showing that an ExoGeni supplied them with, uh, bioweapons, developed here."

Kara leaned against the wall and half-closed her eyes, trusting Garrus to finish talking their way in. She had lost control for a moment, and, aside from putting them all in danger, that simply wasn't something she did. Not when the situation demanded careful attention. If Liara hadn't taken over, they would have lost any chance of a peaceful solution.

Liara. The Asari had turned from the discussion, and approached her with a worried expression on her beautiful features. Kara could feel her heart pounding in anticipation and hope. As easy as it was to cast blame, her uncertainty regarding their relationship was only one of many sources of tension in her life. Perhaps she should have promoted Garrus to deputy-Spectre after all.

"Are you alright?"

"I will be," Kara said, forcing a smile.

Liara frowned, lowering her head. "You say that," she said, raising her face to meet Kara's eyes. "I'm not sure I believe you."

"Thanks for stepping in just then. You did good."

The Asari archeologist flushed. "Thank you. Appeals to Just Authority can be very effective in primitive cultures." She darkened still further. "_Satharii_. I'm sorry, Kara—"

"I agree," Kara said—her smile had turned genuine. "It's ironic; I don't believe in just authority, and here I am trying to _be_ it."

"Shepard," Garrus said, catching her attention before Liara could respond.

Kara pushed away from the wall, touching Liara's arm as she did. It was a hopeful gesture, she felt; like they were starting over, with all possibilities renewed. If nothing else, it was a comfortable illusion. "Yes?"

"We'll keep out of your way, Commander," the security chief said, leaning back, his hands laid flat on the arms of his chair. "Oh, and I know you're special and all, but the scientists here expect to be treated with some fucking respect. You might think about trying it."

That was, she decided, a sarcastic way of demanding more respect for himself. She wondered what he had done to deserve it, or if it was simply his being a man. Kara smiled faintly. Either way, she didn't really trust him to keep his word. "Just shut down the barrier."

* * *

><p>Ethan Jong's official title was 'branch manager', according to the polished name plate beside his office door, as if the entire Feros colony—three hundred colonists, according to their public records—was merely an extension of the corporation. He was the perfect corporate manager in appearance, his clothes cleaned and pressed, every strand of black hair arranged to perfection, with a touch of grey at the temples. His narrow desk was clear of distraction.<p>

"I'm not certain what you expect to find here, Commander Shepard," he said, his voice soft and pleasant. He was sitting on the edge of his desk, looking down on her as she sat in one of his office chairs. "ExoGeni and I are fully committed to following all the laws of the Alliance, even when outside its jurisdiction."

Kara sighed. She did try and keep her distaste for the man out of her voice and expression, but saw no reason to pretend that she believed him. Once they finished posing for each other, she could get on with something useful. A disinterested stare served here, more eloquently than many a sentence.

Of course, he expected some response, an argument, or evasion. Feros was his world, and he had power over everyone he interacted with, from directing the lives of the colonists to molding the perceptions of ExoGeni's board of directors. In a way, she represented a rogue element dropped in that perfect order, less welcome than even a gang of pirates, who could at least be shot at with impunity. "If you had come with an investigator's warrant, I'd allow you access immediately. Since you failed to follow proper legal procedure, I require confirmation of your status—"

"I'm here to request your cooperation, not your permission," Kara said, cutting him off with her usual soft tone. "If you want confirmation, contact the _Normandy_."

Ethan circled his desk, sat down, and did as she suggested. Kara followed him, standing just within range of his console's camera. She noticed that he tested for access to the comm satellite first, swearing under his breath when the connection failed. Had he failed to realize that her arrival just as the comm failure occurred was not a coincidence? If so, how did he expect the _Normandy_ to contact the Citadel?

He contacted the ship by direct connection, and, after a few seconds of the _Normandy_'s standby message, Brynja's image filled his large display. "Ásdísdottír—oh, Captain. What do you need?"

"For you to contact the Spectre Office and request confirmation on my status for Ethan," Kara said, suppressing a faint smile. She suspected the act would have consequences, possibly alerting Saren, who might be curious enough to investigate, and certainly the Council. She had not reported her anti-Cerberus activities, or the incident with the Thresher Maw. Lacking context, they would have questions as to why she was on Feros.

Of more immediate importance, it revealed to Ethan just how much control over the situation she had, and pressed him into responding.

"Aye, ma'am," the young blond nodded. "Securing connection… patching you through now."

The screen faded again, resolving into an image of the Spectre seal. It wasn't a public system, and so had no need of a standard VI interface, but the machine behind it was quite sophisticated.

"Spectre Kara Shepard," Kara said, reciting her ID number as well. "Requesting identity confirmation."

"Spectre Shepard recognized," stated the VI. "Please enter your passcode."

Kara did as it said, interfacing her omnitool with the _Normandy_ directly, rather than using ExoGeni's system. She also provided biometric data, at the VI's request. When it finally issued its confirmation, a full five minutes had passed. The entire procedure was annoying, even though she recognized the necessity of strong security measures. The existence of Spectres was problematic enough, without allowing bored hackers to claim that authority for themselves.

"Well?" Kara demanded, frowning at Ethan after she closed the channel.

"It isn't like I ever had any choice," he snapped, shutting down the terminal.

"No," Kara replied. Innocent or not, she could not fault him for demanding confirmation of her authority. "I'll want full access to your facilities, including lab space, VIs, and personnel."

Ethan groaned. She could almost see his mental picture of her accidentally disrupting experiments, knocking over valuable equipment, and generally traumatizing his staff, the sort of stereotypical jarhead behavior that would get a marine thrown off her ship. "I'll make the arrangements," he muttered, adding a half-hearted, "ma'am."

* * *

><p>Already an orangish star, Feros' dusty atmosphere turned Theseus into an orb of blazing red as evening fell, high, thin clouds cast in vibrant shades from brilliant orange to deep purple. The cold, blustery wind that kept the tower swaying through the long afternoon had picked up, and now held steady at about thirty kilometers per hour. Kara breathed in the bitter remains of a lost civilization along with the dry air. A kilometer below, the remains of the Prothean city stretched out in all directions. Other towers rose of the rubble at seemly random locations, most ending in jagged edges partway up, and they were each connected by the broken line of the ancient skyways.<p>

"To think," Liara said, standing beside her, "we're the first people to look down on these ruins with knowledge of what happened to the Protheans. I've seen estimates that twenty to thirty billion people lived here."

Garrus grunted. He was sitting, leaning against the short barrier that circled the rooftop, while he checked over his arsenal. "Thirty billion people," he hissed, "times a hundred worlds, and countless cycles, and that bastard Saren is helping the monsters that killed them."

"He's no longer in control of his own mind," Kara said, not turning away from the view. Looking down on the dead world, evidence of the might of the foe she faced, she found that she wanted little more than to feel Liara's arms around her. She threw off the fantasy with a shake of her head. "I can't think of a worse fate."

The Turian sighed. "Yeah. He's always been ruthless, and I guess it caught up with him."

"If you had a two kilometer long dreadnaught, and were intent on exterminating all organic civilization, how would you attack a planet like Feros?"

"Assuming I didn't have to worry about preserving garden worlds, orbital bombardment," Garrus shrugged. He stood, holstering his assault rifle as he turned to share the view. "I mean, Sovereign's main gun must put out over kilotons of kinetic energy. Fired at a near right angle to the planet's surface, even with atmospheric drag… there wouldn't be any buildings left for us to find."

Liara groaned. "_Satharii_, of course. The Reapers must have a second objective, more important than swift extermination."

"Yes," Kara muttered. "What is it, though?" She didn't know herself. Fifty thousand years had done much to erase the evidence, but she guessed that the Reapers cleansed the city building by building with indoctrinated ground troops and husks. Finding a means to counter indoctrination would be crucial to any war effort, but it was only a beginning. The real war would be fought in space, just as any modern war was, and that demanded more ships and bigger guns.

She sighed. Continued speculation was useless, and she had other things to concern her. Their first day of investigation had only reaffirmed her belief that something odd was going on. Considering their surroundings, Kara would have expected a staff of archeologists, computer scientists, engineers… people with the expertise to explore any sites of interest discovered by the colonists, and analyze what artifacts were recovered for technological significance. They were present, but mixed in was a number of exobiologists and biochemists, all quite specialized and seemingly out of place.

She turned her back on the view. ExoGeni had only occupied a small part of the tower, at the level of the ancient skyways. Their engineers had done some work on the upper levels, sealing exterior holes and patching up the support pillars, enough to maintain the stability of the building, but little else. Outside the corporation's facilities, the rooms were still covered in dust and scattered with debris. The observation deck was no different, but someone had installed a meteorological package on the rusted remains of the tower's pinnacle, for which the lift had been repaired.

"Liara, is there anything in the artifact manifest you want a closer look at?"

"Just about all of it," the Asari replied. "For the average person, it's just about the technology we can scavenge. Who or what the Protheans were is secondary. Most of the artifacts on Feros don't have that kind of scientific value, and ExoGeni doesn't have anyone on staff with a background in Prothean culture, so they get put up for auction and sold to wealthy collectors, sealed away and just as useless to those of us with real interest in Prothean history as if it were still buried in rubble. What an idiotic way to decide the distribution of valuable artifacts.

"I'm sorry, Kara," Liara sighed. "That wasn't meant to reflect on you."

"If you like, I'll confiscate all the artifacts still stored here," Kara suggested. "It'll have to wait until we've finished our investigation, though."

"That's dangerously close to piracy, Captain," Garrus said, his mandibles flexing in a disapproving fashion.

"I'm not here to protect ExoGeni's bottom line," Kara stated flatly. Rather, she would not have minded if the scandal resulting from whatever she discovered caused the corporation to collapse entirely. The Zhu's Hope colony would almost certainly have to be evacuated, but their profitable interests elsewhere would be bought up by their competitors, and little would change.

Liara smiled at her. "I'd appreciate that, Kara, and there is always the possibility that one of these artifacts could prove crucial to finding the Conduit, though I wish I could say with confidence that any of them would."

The ex-CSec Turian shrugged. "That'll do for an excuse. So, what's our next step?"

"We'll head back to the _Normandy_ until oh-six hundred hours, ship time," Kara explained. "Prepare a list of people you'd like to interview, and we'll start with them when we get back. Tali will come along to make sure we didn't miss anything in the database, with Wrex to watch her back."

"Another two aliens? I can't imagine that will go over well."

"No, but that doesn't matter. They know they don't have a choice," Kara sighed. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>"Captain. Captain?"<p>

Kara groaned. The smooth voice of Nasrin Khamedi, her third watch ops officer, had cut into a dream that was at least somewhat pleasant, though the details were already fading. She pressed the flashing comm light next to her bed. "What is it, Nasrin?"

"The Council for you, ma'am. It's marked as urgent."

"Put them through," she said, swinging her legs out of bed. A lead, maybe? It would mean cutting her investigation short, but that didn't matter in the end. It was oh-two hundred according to the clock, but she did not know the current displacement on Citadel time. She waited for the system to acknowledge the connection with its usual beep. "Councillors."

"Captain Shepard," Sparatus said, his voice sounding more hostile than it had been a while, and loud in the darkness. "What in hell do you think you're doing?"

So not a lead, then. She reached for her glass of tea, left half-finished when she went to bed, and swallowed what remained, a spicy-fragrant blend of Asari herbs. "What?"

"Spectre status is not a license to pursue your own vendettas," the Turian added. "What are you doing on Feros?"

"You never told Saren that." She went for her shirt next, shrugging it on and linking the clasps.

"Clarify," demanded Valern.

Kara sighed. They were important people, with enough resources to connect their own dots. Moving to her chair, she switched on her console, and brought up the transmission visual. "All of this is because of a human, Jack Harper, who fought in the First Contact War, where he encountered some sort of Reaper tech. Saren blames Jack for the death of his brother, and spent years hunting him down. That's why he was looking for Reaper tech himself, and how he found Sovereign. If you and your predecessors had exercised better control, this situation might have already been resolved."

"Your point is accepted, Kara," Adar said. "Now, explain your presence on Feros."

Kara began with the Thresher Maw, and the death of Kahoku's marines, mentioning how Cerberus had lured them in with a distress beacon, but leaving out their reason for landing on Edolus. "Kahoku was able to locate a Cerberus base in the Voyager Cluster," she continued, "and requested my help in neutralizing it. I agreed. Once we secured the base, we discovered that Cerberus had used it to conduct experiments on what they called Thorian Creepers, which had been purchased from ExoGeni's outpost on Feros."

Adar shook her head. "If you had informed us first, we might have been able to assist."

"Cerberus is a human problem, Adar," Kara said. "It will not go away unless we deal with it ourselves."

"Regardless, you are a Spectre now, and your actions reflect on us."

Kara nodded as she brushed her fingers through her hair. "I've never forgotten that," she sighed. "I'll file a report when I'm done here."

"Next time you withhold information from us, Captain, there will be consequences," Sparatus growled. She did believe that he meant it, but they could do little beyond revoke her Spectre status, and even that would have to wait until after the caught Saren.

"Noted, Councillor," Kara said. And the rest of it? The Council did not often intervene in the affairs of its member species, but high-level Alliance collaboration with Cerberus might be an exception. If she said nothing, they would still find out when Kahoku made his announcement. Prior knowledge might lead them to a more tempered response.

"There is one other thing," she added. "We found evidence of high level contact between Cerberus and the Alliance, possibly in the Defense Committee itself. Admiral Kahoku has agreed to press for an internal investigation, as soon as he returns."

Adar sighed unhappily, rubbing at her forehead, but it was Valern who spoke. "We have suspected as much for some time. You believe we should not get involved?"

"I think that interference by the Council would only strengthen Cerberus."

"Probably true," Sparatus frowned, "but we cannot ignore Cerberus forever. If the Alliance fails to take action, we will have to."

Kara nodded. "You have to protect the interests of your species. I accept that."

"Then we are in agreement," the Turian replied. "We'll await your report with interest."

Kara leaned back in her chair as the comm went blank. She could hardly blame them for wanting answers, but she hoped it did not make an already complex situation worse. Either way, it was beyond her ability to influence to any significant degree, so worrying about it was pointless at best. Better that she made herself another pot of tea from her dwindling supplies, and tried to get back to sleep.

Taking her thermos and mug from the desk, she exited her cabin, and turned into the mess. A lone Turian sat at the table, studying a data pad, taking her turn to keep an eye on Rana Thanoptis. Dropping off the possibly-indoctrinated Asari scientist was another reason for them to make for the Citadel. "Orlanis?"

The Turian looked up. "Shepard. Awfully late for you to be about, isn't it?"

"I had a call from the Council," Kara said, flipping through the teas while her thermos filled with water. "They wanted explanations."

"I've had that conversation before, though not from such high company. I used to get it from the Executor."

Taking her thermos and tea selection along, Kara sat down across from the Turian female. "You may again. We'll return to the Citadel once this mission is over. I may yet need your help, but the choice to stay has to be yours."

"Dammit Kara, you know I can't. I'm going to miss my son's birthday as it is, and I _promised _him—"

"I know," Kara said. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Orlanis sighed.

"Of course it is."

The Turian laughed. "Yes, it is. Dammit. Don't you know shouldn't admit it?"

"Yes," Kara said, smiling faintly.

"Now… I've followed charismatic leaders into battle before, and seen them drink to the victory over the bodies of dead friends. It's a bitter thing, to learn that someone you trusted didn't care if you lived or not, so long as he got what he wanted. I expected you to be the same, all soft words and confident expressions, but no depth. Oh, I know a leader isn't supposed to mourn the fallen, not if they died with honor. Somehow, it was never that easy when it happened to me."

"Where I trained, we were taught to treat those under our command as replaceable parts. Gears in the machine of war." Kara let out a bitter laugh at the memory. "Fuck that."

Orlanis shook her head. "Spirits. Kara, it's been an interesting ride, but I can't stay. My team has lives of their own, and I know they're as anxious to get back as I am."

Kara nodded. She certainly understood the desire for a less dangerous lifestyle, especially from the mother of a young child, but it would once again leave her with a minimal ground team. She didn't quite know how she would go about replacing them.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading and reviewing.<p> 


	22. Discovery

I seem to be spending more time in front of the computer, again, but autumn seems to have firmly arrived. Not sure if I'll ever get back to a chapter a week, which is quite time-consuming at the pace I write, but we'll see.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO<br>_Discovery_

"Shepard, finally. I don't like mysteries at this time of day."

Kara smiled at the young blond. Officers were supposed to learn to do without sleep, a lesson which Brynja's disheveled and glowering appearance suggested had been largely ignored. "You know I wouldn't have woken you without reason," she offered. She had just left the rest of her investigative team in the cargo bay, her last-minute change of plans the only thing holding them up.

Brynja crossed her arms and frowned, slouching against the aft wall of the armory. She would probably not be pleased with her new orders, either.

Kara shrugged, and opened the locker where the spare undersuits were stored, pulling out one that fit well with Brynja's measurements. She passed it to the blond. "Put that on."

"Then you'll explain what's going on?"

"Yes."

Brynja nodded shortly, and began to unbutton her shirt. Kara met her eyes briefly, then sat facing the interior wall. She had the feeling that the blond would not be entirely comfortable stripping in front of her, and she was likely about to make it worse.

"Your company has been one of the high points of this mission, Brynja," Kara said, her eyes falling to study her gloved hands. "I'm not very good about saying it, but it is how I feel. I trust you, and I think you understand what's going on better than most. I know you sympathize with the colonists. You're the best choice, and there isn't any danger—"

She cut herself off, aware that she had starting rambling. She did worry, mostly because ExoGeni's hired guards were an unsavory lot. Jong, if he were pressed enough, might also stoop to hostage taking. She did not like to imagine Brynja at the mercy of either one.

"You're looking more pensive than usual."

Forgetting herself, Kara turned to offer an apology, the words stalling behind her lips. The blond had just kicked off her trousers, revealing long legs and strong thighs, matching her toned abdomen. She had a more conventionally attractive body than Kara herself, athletic but not as well-muscled, her breasts larger and more shapely, but still far from the usual unhealthy Barbie-type feminine ideal.

Swallowing, Kara turned away. She realized that her relationship with Brynja had become more intimate since her breakup with Liara, but her own feelings had shifted more than she realized. They were certainly beyond friendship, but she could not risk another romance, and struggled to refocus her mind on the mission. "Brynja, I'm sending you to Feros… to Zhu's Hope. Whatever ExoGeni found, it's possible that the colonists dug it up. Ask around, and see if you can learn anything."

"Kara, this really isn't my thing," Brynja protested. "I'm a systems operator, not a DI."

Kara took a deep breath, and risked facing the blond, focusing all her attention on the woman's blue eyes. "You're smart, and quick to adapt. You can do this," she said. Smiling softly, she continued; "If it helps, Brynja, I'm not trained for this either. That's why I need you."

"I'll do it, of course," Brynja sighed.

"Good," Kara said, opening an armor tray filled with a spare medium-weight set that could be easily adjusted to the blond's size. "Let's get you suited up."

* * *

><p>They had barely left the ship when the first shot snapped through her barriers, missing her head by half a centimeter. The second fragment came just a few seconds later, but it was time enough for her to deflect it with a biotic field. "Sniper," she snapped, ducking aside just in time for a third shot to impact the concrete platform, sending bits of stone and dust in all directions.<p>

By the time she had gotten herself to safety, behind a broken spur of Prothean wall, the rest of her team had found cover of their own. She saw Brynja's eyes, wide with fear, peering over another broken wall, before a blue hand pulled her down; and across the room, the tell-tale shimmer of a biotic field shielded Liara as she raised her head over a pile of rubble. Needing the structural stability to support a loaded freighter, the spaceport was built low in the ruins, with a ramp laid through about fifty meters of broken buildings as a path for a cargo truck. Everything else had been left as it was, scattered with debris and close to falling over. Their position was open to the sky, and surrounded by taller buildings, providing any number of places where a sniper might hide. She wondered at their being only one.

Kara checked her comm, but the line was flooded with static. Typical. The sniper had probably left, as well, but who did she order to take the first risk? Looking over the room in which her team had scattered, she realized that she could still see the _Normandy_, not twenty meters away. Inside its cargo bay was a Salarian armored vehicle capable of atmospheric flight. "Kalliran," she ordered, hoping the Asari commando could hear her, while the sniper could not, "get back to the ship, and get the _Ke'val_ in the air."

Kalliran shouted an acknowledgement. As Kara watched, the Asari rolled out of cover and dropped off the edge of the ramp in a smooth motion.

"What do you think, Shepard? Cerberus or ExoGeni?" Garrus asked. He taken cover on the far side of the ramp, and was scanning the roofline through his sniper rifle's scope.

She hadn't actually considered the point. The promise of a bonus from Jong might have temped any one of his hired mercenary to take a shot at her from a distance, but dead Spectres tended to bring down a Council investigation. A Cerberus operative would be more willing to take that risk. "No point in guessing, Garrus."

"Fifty credits says it was that creepy guard. Another fifty says he's working for Cerberus."

"You're forgetting Saren," Kara noted, risking a look at the roofline herself.

Liara's head appeared over her pile of rubble. "You think he knows we're here?"

"I do, but any agent of his would be acting alone."

Garrus laughed. "Standing orders to shoot you on sight? Isn't there a human quote about judging a person by the quality of their enemies?"

She did seem to be adding to her list, lately. And what about the quality of her allies? Kalliran had surely reached the ship, and gotten Tanan behind the controls of his craft. He would be in the air soon, and their best chance to catch the sniper was to provide a focus for his or her attention. "Liara, Wrex," she said, gesturing that the two biotics should join her.

"We're moving forward," she continued, once they were safely back under cover. "The three of us should be able to maintain a biotic barrier until we can reach higher ground. Garrus, you'll come along. See if you can't spot our sniper. Tali and Brynja, stay here."

Kara waited for everyone to acknowledge her orders, before signaling to Liara and Wrex. They rose out of cover together, moving forward as quickly as the could. Linked biotics took more concentration than usual, so it was important that they not stumble. A few shots impacted, but did not penetrate, their barrier. The _Ke'val_ passed by, on their left—the direction in which the sniper was hiding—but she did not allow it to distract her.

"Shepard, I've got a clear shot," Garrus hissed. The sniper must have moved to track the vehicle.

"Take it."

The Turian fired two shots in quick succession. "He's down," he grunted.

Kara released her portion of the barrier, and watched as the Ke'val maneuvered for a spot to land, near the downed sniper. "Dead?"

"Not yet. He won't last long without medical attention."

"So what now, Shepard? There could be more of them out there," Wrex said, his deep voice eager.

"Unlikely," Kara muttered. Crossfire was a basic ambush tactic, one which any pirate would be aware of. "Even if there are, we can't waste time worrying about it."

"_Shepard?_" said Orlanis' voice, through Kara's earpiece.

"I hear you, Orlanis. What's your status?"

"_We've secured a human male, bleeding profusely. He had a jamming device on him._"

"Patch him up, and get him back to the _Normandy_. See if you can't find out why he attacked us."

A short-crested Turian figure appeared on the roofline, nodding firmly. "_I'll see to it,_" Orlanis said.

"Are Brynja and I still to investigate the colony, Captain?" Kalliran asked, coming up the ramp with Tali and Brynja in tow.

Kara frowned. The close quarters of the ExoGeni tower made another attack on her unlikely, but the colony was more open. At least the sniper had shown no interest in killing anyone but her. "Yes."

* * *

><p>Kara entered the tower wearing her usual neutral expression. She was still on edge from the attack, but her relationship with Jong and his security chief was unstable, and she had to maintain the appearance of control. If either one were responsible, her arrival, outwardly unaffected, might cause them to reveal the truth by their expression.<p>

Michael Torres had an office separate from the security checkpoint, on the first floor, adjacent to the armory, to which he controlled access. He might know if one of his mercenaries had taken a sniper rifle—but a gang of pirate would likely have its own hidden stash, just in case their employer decided to turn them in for a public relations gain. Or, if they decided that helping themselves to their employer's assets was worth the risks. Both were known to happen.

Kara walked through the door confidently, coldly, pausing just short of Michael's desk. "Torres."

He glanced up, frowning faintly, as he ran his fingers through thinning hair. "I can't help you, Shepard, so just piss off." He met her gaze firmly, without hesitation. If he knew, he hid it well.

"Do you train your guards at all?"

He leaned back, rubbing his eyes. "Can you skip the leading questions and get to the point?"

Kara laughed. She didn't like him, but at least he was direct. "One of your mercs tried to kill me. Missed a clean shot."

"Just one? That is a surprise," he said, his smile forced. She stared at him in silence. "Look, Shepard, I don't know why the company decided to hire pirates, rather than bringing in real security, but they did. I'm sure half of them are reporting to someone else, and the rest are waiting for something worth stealing. Nothing I can do about it. Deal with him as you see fit."

That was a highly unprofessional attitude, and hardly a comfort. His employers could hardly be ignorant of it, and yet they kept him on. Why? Kara activated her comm. "Orlanis?"

"_Yes, Shepard?_"

"Send me Ashley and Yana," she ordered, noting Torres' concerned expression. "We're taking over the building."

"I admire your balls, Shepard, but fuck no. I won't allow—" Torres snapped, overriding Orlanis' acknowledgement.

"Stop talking," Kara said, the whispered command cutting him off in mid-sentence. "I gave you a chance to take responsibility for your command. You failed. Or do you not have the _balls_ to admit it?" She let her eyes flicker towards his armored groin.

"What? I—" he said, flushing deeply, as though she had called into question his very man-ness. Maybe she had, but the commonality of equating testicles with positive traits was something that continued to annoy her. Their absence was not a deficiency she struggled to overcome, but a simple fact of her existence, one which she had never regretted. "My job is to—"

"Provide security for this branch of ExoGeni corporation," Garrus interjected. "I don't know what balls have to do with anything, but you not having any doesn't make you any less incompetent."

VI translators were notoriously poor at slang, leaving the Turian to blunder in unprepared. Kara had learned early on to keep her language simple and precise, especially in the presence of aliens, and she struggled not to laugh. Torres, already too angry to recognize a translation error, turned purple. Garrus stared in confusion at this unexpected reaction. "What's wrong?"

"You need to get out more, Turian," Wrex laughed. "They were talking about quads."

"Oh, right," Garrus groaned. "Sorry. Forget I said anything."

Kara sighed. Her inability to let Torres' comment pass had ruined any chance of getting her point across, even if she apologized. Perhaps one was owed; she could have called him on his misogyny in any number of less insulting ways. "I'll give you a choice, Michael. Make a commitment to control your guards, or I will."

Torres raised his chin defiantly. His expression had gone from angry and embarrassed to resolved. "I'll do it myself," he grated.

That was unexpected and, almost as surprising, Kara found that she believed him. Wounded masculine pride could be a solid enough motive, as he struggled to prove her wrong. She switched her comm on again. "Orlanis, Torres has decided to cooperate. Have Ash and Yana stand down."

Torres sighed in relief. "Next time your people get in my way, I will hold you responsible for it," Kara told him.

She shook her head. "Tali, head to the computer core, see what you can find. Wrex and Liara, you're with her. Garrus… let's go talk to Jong." Yet another conversation which she did not look forward to, and interviews with the staff after that. She had a feeling it was going to be a long day.

* * *

><p>"Bring the next one in, Garrus," Kara sighed, leaning back in Ethan Jong's comfortable office chair. So far, all the 'associates' she'd spoken to had refused to cooperate. Still, they could not help but reveal clues for her to follow. The source of the creepers was not within ExoGeni's tower, nor was it a considered a threat to the facility. She suspected some sort of passive life-form, which had created or adapted the creepers to serve as slaves.<p>

"You sure, Shepard? You look exhausted," Garrus asked, his expression worried as he crossed the room.

She probably did. It had only been two weeks since Virmire, her time occupied first with files on Saren, then on Cerberus, when she wasn't leading a squad. The last three nights, spent without Liara's comforting warmth to curl up against, had left her short of even her usual limited ration of sleep. She could hardly believe it, but she looked forward to the journey back to the Citadel, and the chance to relax on the way. "I'm fine. Let's get on with it."

The Turian shrugged, and disappeared into the hall, only to return a few minutes later with a soft-featured brunette. Her name was Lizbeth Baynham, according to the file Garrus had given her. She was thirty-six years old, with a doctorate in neurochemistry, followed by some post-doc work with the Colonial Education Administration, mixing lab and field work on several different planets. ExoGeni had made her a generous offer eight months ago, and she had moved to Feros, her first corporate job. Her mother—a junior administrator for the facility's Prothean studies group, might have had something to do with the offer.

Kara stood, approaching the scientist with a calming smile. Everyone she'd talked to so far had been nervous—an understandable reaction to an inquiry, even from the innocent—but Lizbeth seemed worse. She chose to take it as a sign of internal struggle, and an opportunity. "Have a seat," she said, gesturing at the set of chairs facing the desk.

The brunette nodded, sitting hastily and placing her hands on her knees.

"I'm sure you know why I'm here," Kara began, taking the next chair for herself. "I need to know about the Thorian."

"I can't tell you anything, ma'am," Lizbeth stated hesitantly.

"I know Ethan threatened you," Kara guessed. If not him directly, then someone using his name and authority, and even then something seemly mild, like taking away her job. On a remote colony, where most freighter captains relied on ExoGeni for their business—it could mean forced exile. "I can protect you, but not if you won't help me."

The brunette lowered her head, her lips set firmly. Kara sighed. Another uncooperative scientist. "Lizbeth, I will find out what is going on, with out without your help. This might be your only chance—"

Brynja's voice in her earpiece cut her off, accompanied by the soft tone, an indication that video was also being transmitted. "_Captain?_"

"Go ahead, Brynja," she said, as she brought up the call on her omnitool, smiling softly when the blond's face appeared on its holographic display.

"_Kaliran and I talked to about thirty colonists, including an agricultural specialist, Fai Dan, that everyone says is in charge. He says that ExoGeni carried away everything of value they've found. I believe him, but… this place isn't what I expected. There's three hundred people here, and none of them talk to each other._"

"What do you mean?" Kara asked. The implications were troubling.

Brynja frowned. "_Colonies like this, they don't have a vid-screen in every home, so they spend a lot of time socializing. I don't see any of that here. They don't even talk to me, except to answer questions._"

"That confirms it. What we're looking for is near the colony." And could control the minds of humans, as well as creepers. So far, the Reapers were the only thing she'd encountered with that ability. "Get back to the ship, and have Karen look you over," Kara continued, shifting her gaze from the display to Lizbeth.

The brunette flinched back. "The spores aren't dangerous over the short term."

"_Spores? What spores?"_ Brynja demanded, an uncustomary sharpness to her tone.

Lizbeth, her face pale, drew a deep breath, before speaking hesitantly. "The Thorian… released clouds of spores at regular intervals. They interface with the brain of the host, interfering with thought patterns and, ah, giving increased control as their concentration, well, increases."

Brynja held her silence for a tense moment, but her words mirrored Kara's thoughts when she spoke. "_You mean… ExoGeni allowed the colonists be exposed to these spores, for the sake of some… bloody experiment?_"

"Uh, yes?"

"_How utterly horrific,_" Brynja snapped. "_At least the Batarians are honest about their barbarity, while you look at people as interchangeable machine parts with balance figures next to them? 'Oh, colonist 435 isn't profitable enough. Sell it slavers, and get a new one!_' '_Oh, look, this Thorian creature is controlling the colonists. Let's sit by and watch! Maybe we can get them to do hazardous work without appropriate compensation!_'"

While Kara considered the young blond's outburst justified, it wasn't helpful, and learning the truth had to take precedence. "Go back to the ship, Brynja," she said, more calmly than she felt. "You'll hear all the details later."

"_Ma'am_," Brynja muttered, cutting the channel.

"Brynja grew up on Álfheimr," Kara said quietly. "Her parents were murdered by pirates. Pirates hired by Independent Colonization Incorporated to extract payments for colonization debt."

Lizbeth nodded. ICI was a well-known frontier corporation, with a poor reputation, even if the colony itself was obscure. "I'm sorry."

"You had nothing to do with it, but that's not true of Zhu's Hope."

"Why don't you start from the beginning, Doctor," Garrus said. "What is this Thorian creature?"

Lizbeth sighed, hesitating again, but she had already broken her silence. "It really defies categorization, but I believe it falls within the fungal kingdom, as its primary role in the ecosystem is decompositional, and it is a single entity, highly decentralized, with a weave of tendrils absorbing nutrients from across most of the planet. It appears that it integrated itself into the Prothean waste disposal system, making it at least fifty thousand years old. It is capable of interacting with its environment, and might even have sophisticated intelligence. We don't know."

"Then you haven't been studying it?" Kara asked.

"Not directly," Lizbeth admitted. "I've specialized in studying the effects of non-terrestrial ecosystems on human brain chemistry. I honestly believed that ExoGeni hired me to investigate a harmful environmental effect, but when I got here, they wanted me to find a way of taking control of the process, not preventing it."

Kara frowned. That was more than seven months ago, and she had done nothing to expose ExoGeni.

"Don't look at me like that, Captain. Who could I tell? We were all under surveillance. There was no way I'd have survived long enough to report to the Bureau of Colonial Affairs. Even if I was willing to risk my life, what about my mother? It was made clear that she would suffer if I stepped out of line."

"We're not accusing you of anything," Garrus interceded. "You've told us, and we'll make sure that both you and your mother are safe."

"We'll take you with us on the _Normandy_," Kara said. "First, though, I want all of the data you've collected on the Thorian."

The brunette nodded, her earlier anxiety replaced by a tired expression. "It's all stored on a data module. Mister Jong will know where it is."

"Garrus, get him up here," Kara said, moving to activate her comm. If the data wasn't on the main database, there was no reason for Tali to keep searching for it. "Wrex, bring Tali and Liara up here."

* * *

><p>"I've never actually been down here before," Lizbeth said, her quiet voice tense with fear. The Thorian's central cluster was several kilometers from the colony, in an open chamber under the rubble. They had taken one of ExoGeni's shuttles for the journey.<p>

Liara's face scrunched unhappily. "It smells terrible," she noted. "Do we know if there's any danger?"

"The Thorian has never responded to the other ExoGeni teams," Lizbeth replied. "There's no reason for us to be an be an exception. I'm really not sure why we're here, though."

Kara didn't have a reason beyond curiosity. The Thorian was had a known age of over fifty thousand years, and it was unique. She knew of no life-form that was remotely similar to it. "You're here because you know more about this creature than us," she said. They were deep enough underground that their wrist-lights provided the only illumination, and Liara was right about an unpleasant smell drifting up from below.

"We believe that this tunnel was cleared by the creepers, after the Protheans went extinct."

"How much do you know about these creepers?" Kara asked.

"Quite a bit. The Thorian's control relies on high frequency radio waves, and has a range of only a few hundred meters. When they're isolated from these signals, they just shut down."

"Where do they come from?" Garrus asked, from his position at the rear. "Are they offspring, like a Rachni drones?"

"No," the brunette said. "Their cells contain Prothean genetic material, though it's badly degraded. We think they may be actual Prothean, repurposed by the Thorian."

Kara stopped abruptly, and turned on the older woman. "You're saying colonists could end up like that?"

"Yes?" Lizbeth squeaked, looking pale in the harsh light.

"If you want to, say, go vigilante on ExoGeni HQ, Shepard, I'll support you," Garrus said. His voice was cold, despite his humorous tone, his eyes tight with anger. There was no doubt that he meant it.

Kara sighed, and shook her head. "Tempting, Garrus, but what would it accomplish?"

"It would feel good?"

Lizbeth laughed nervously. "He's joking, right?" she asked, looking uncertainly at Kara. "He must be joking."

"There are three hundred colonists on Feros. ExoGeni was willing to let them die for the sake of their profit margin. Why would he be joking?"

"Excuse me," Liara interrupted, "but I don't think we should linger here."

"You're right. Let's go," Kara said, leading the way further down the path. The tunnel leveled off at about twenty meters below the surface, then opened onto a round chamber, about ten meters across.

In the center of the room, a featureless, grey blob hung from the ceiling by a mass of tendrils, some as thick as her leg.

"That's the Thorian," Lizbeth said, pointing at the blob. It was about twice the size of a human. "Or at least, its central neural cluster."

Liara circled the room, eying the mass with curiosity, and the enthusiasm of a fresh idea. "Lizbeth," she asked, "do the Thorian's control signals go both ways? I mean, can it access the minds of its thralls?"

"They send some sensory information, if that's what you're asking.

"Kara," the Asari grinned, "those billions of Protheans lived with the Thorian under their foundations. It saw through their eyes… worked with their hands. It might have access to their language, their memories… their culture…"

"We don't even know that it's sentient, Doctor T'Soni," Lizbeth stated, regarding the Asari archeologist with bafflement.

Liara ended her circuit in front of Kara, smiling excitedly. "I want to try and link with it."

Through the link they had already shared, Kara understood a little of Liara's passion for the Protheans. This wouldn't be the first time it had overridden her good sense. "Liara—"

"Kara, I know there are risks," the Asari whispered. She seemed to have drawn closer, enough so that Kara could taste her breath over the stink of the Thorian. "But I want to do this. Besides, you're here to keep me safe."

Liara's smile had taken on a mournful curve, when she stepped back. "Besides, Captain, there is a chance that I might learn something that will help you. Let me do this?"

Kara nodded. She had more than enough objections to justify refusing. What if the Thorian could use the link to take control of Liara? What if it regarded the connection as an attack, and became hostile? However, she didn't feel that it was her choice, even though the young Asari seemed to grant it to her.

Liara took off her gloves, and carefully slid them into her hip-pocket. She approached the Thorian carefully, her touch light on its surface.

She closed her eyes.

* * *

><p>Liara stood, still and silent, as she had for almost an hour. Her arm moved with the faint, pulsing circulation of the Thorian's blood, or sap, whatever they chose to call it.<p>

Kara felt herself growing increasingly impatient, driven by fear, and she paced back and forth across the small chamber. Asari mental links were generally swift, sharing information and images as fast as they could be thought. The longer it went on, the more she imagined all the things that might have gone wrong.

"I thought this would go quickly," Lizbeth muttered at Garrus, both lingering near the tunnel to the surface.

"You haven't seen Doctor T'Soni around Prothean artifacts before," Garrus shrugged. "She might be in there until she passes out from exhaustion."

Kara hissed irritably at the pair of them. The last thing she needed was their doubts, added to her own. She had no choice but to trust that Liara could handle herself, even while inside the mind of the single most alien creature she'd ever encountered. "You two can go wait on the surface, if you'd prefer," she said. From their expressions, it had come out sharper than she intended.

"No way am I leaving you alone down here, Shepard," Garrus said, folding his arms. "And I'm not leaving _her_—" he pointed at the brunette—"alone up there, either. So we're both staying."

Lizbeth groaned unhappily, and finally deigned to sit, muttering under her breath as the moist dirt soaked through her pants. Kara wondered if her 'field work' had all been done inside.

"I appreciate the company, Garrus."

"Maybe you should stop pacing and talk about something," the Turian suggested. "Such as, what are we going to do about ExoGeni?"

That wasn't much better, but she and Garrus hadn't talked about much of anything beyond work. "Lizbeth is going to call Colonial Affairs and inform them that Feros' atmosphere contains a hazardous compound, and that Zhu's Hope needs to be evacuated. She can claim that ExoGeni has stalled, and hopefully get them billed for the expense."

Lizbeth glared up at her. "I'm not going to lie to them."

"You're going to make it clear that the Thorian is uncontrollable," Kara said. As Cerberus knew about the creatures, it was a fair guess that elements of the Alliance did as well. Nothing she did would prevent either group from conducting additional experiments, unless they were convinced of its futility. "If that's a lie, you'll tell it. If it is intelligent, we've no right to exploit it. If not, it should be left alone."

The brunette sighed, but said nothing, frowning down at her boots.

"Uh, Shepard, didn't you say something about favorite Turian—"

Liara took a sharp gasp of breath. If Garrus finished his sentence, Kara didn't hear it, moving to catch the Asari as she swayed on her feet. She giggled. "Oh. This seems familiar," she breathed. "That was exhausting."

Kara smiled softly, wrapping the young Asari in a biotic field just strong enough to make her easy to life. "Let's get you out of here," she said, motioning for the others to follow as she started up the tunnel.

"It's ancient, Kara," Liara continued. "It was already ancient when the Protheans arrived, and it _tasted_ them. It _remembers_. It showed me."

Lizbeth, struggling to keep up with Kara's pace, had moved up beside her, using her lamp to illuminate the path for both of them. "So the Thorian is sentient? You saw Prothean culture? What was it like?"

"Lived it," Liara muttered. She was starting to lose consciousness, as her exhaustion caught up with her. "Kara," she whispered, barely awake. "I'm sorry."

* * *

><p>Poor Garrus. I assume that Turians do have testicle-analogous organs, but, given Palaven's high radiation environment, it's safe to assume they're well-shielded, which would suggest interior placement.<p>

Enough about Turian reproductive anatomy, though. Thanks for reading, please leave a review. We appreciate your comments, suggestions, and criticism.

As the Feros arc is about wrapped up, I've decided to add some comments on my decisions regarding events as a review. Go look if you're interested.


	23. Intimacy

This was stubbornly resisting my attempts to write it last week, and that, with a little encouragement from readers, got me to add Samara to list of mocked canon, over in Shooting Canon, followed this week by some Council-mockery. And a bonus. So go read, once you're done here. Also, I updated Chapter One, which I also retitled('Into the Breach' didn't fit well with the last twenty chapters) to 'Revelations'.

Thanks to NonSolus for an interesting collection of reviews-it's always interesting to watch someone work their way through the story-so-far for the first time.

Here's to the end of the Feros story arc!

* * *

><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE<br>_Intimacy_

"She's in no danger, Kara," Karin Chakwas said, checking over her instruments again. "It's just exhaustion. A few hours of sleep is all she needs."

Kara started at the noise, nodding quickly to cover her disorientation. She had only just closed her eyes, or so she thought. "Thank you, Karin."

"I know you don't like to take advice, but it looks as though you could use some sleep yourself."

"You're right," Kara smiled, standing. Liara lay on the bed in the _Normandy_'s sickbay, still in her undersuit, with a thin blanket pulled up to her shoulders. "You checked Brynja and Kalliran for spore concentration?"

The grey-haired doctor nodded, retreating to her desk, with Kara following behind. "Yes. They're both well below the danger levels reported by Doctor Baynham. Liara, too. Yes, I checked her." The last was delivered with a knowing smile.

Kara ignored it. "And the assassin?"

"His armor absorbed the first shot, and the second went through his shoulder. The field team had stopped the bleeding before he got to me, and since the injury wasn't severe I allowed Lieutenant Septalus to lock him in a sleeper pod. I've been monitoring his vitals." All of the pods had basic monitoring built-in, for heart-rate and breathing mostly, but the two nearest sickbay had more extensive systems, in case beds needed to be cleared for more urgent cases. "He's awake, if you want to talk with him."

Kara groaned. She really didn't, but she had no intention of wasting ships' resources on keeping him alive, which meant dumping him before they departed. "Good. I'll want to see Liara, as soon as she wakes up."

"I'm sure she'll feel the same, but Ehigha or I will let her know."

"Thanks, Karin," Kara smiled, touching the doctor's shoulder briefly, before leaving the room.

She paused outside the door. There were a number of things she wanted to do, before the end of the day. Finish dealing with the assassin; contact Colonial Affairs with Lizbeth; collect the Prothean artifacts from ExoGeni's vaults. Thank Brynja in person, for the timely interruption during her interview with Lizbeth. Unfortunately, she couldn't see herself managing it. Seeing to Liara had taken what strength she had left, and she could feel herself swaying on her feet. Bed first, she decided firmly. Everything else would have to wait.

So, ExoGeni it was. She started for the lift. "Kara, wait."

Kara paused, the lift door open and waiting, as Brynja ran to catch up with her. The blond had changed back into her usual clothes, her Alliance uniform without the jacket. "I know I promised you details, Brynja, but can it wait?"

"I saw you bring Liara in. How is she?"

Gesturing that Brynja should follow, Kara stepped into the lift. "Fine. She needs rest, but that's all."

"And you?" the blond asked.

Kara smiled faintly. "Tired." The lift halted, the doors opening onto the cargo deck. She stepped out into the entry, and stopped, turning. "I meant to tell you, Brynja, your help was invaluable. I don't know if I could've gotten Lizbeth to talk. Thank you."

"All I did was report in, and get pissed," Brynja said, her smile uncertain.

Kara laid her hand against Brynja's face, raising it gently, until their eyes met. "Thank you," she repeated. It was a mistake, of course, too intimate a gesture, proven as the blond nuzzled her hand, her blue eyes closed.

"Kara, I…" Brynja breathed, taking Kara's hand in her own. "I'm trying to be a friend, and… and you need to back off."

It was hard not to take the warning as a sign that her feelings were returned, but for something so important she would have to ask. It was easier not to, as she feared a 'yes' more than a 'no'. "Sorry. I'm going to get changed, now," she said.

Brynja nodded, reluctantly letting their hands part, stepping backward through the still-open lift door.

Kara retreated to the armory. The task of cleaning and storing her armor in its case demanded attention enough to keep her on her feet. She had sometime found herself caught between her admiration for Asari culture, and the culture of her birth. Now she felt trapped by her feelings between an Asari and a human, but she had lived on Thessia, and seen the way they handled love. She wondered why she couldn't have both. If she explained her feelings honestly, there remained a chance that she might escape without hurting anyone she cared about. She simply hoped it would wait until they were in deep space.

* * *

><p>"The Thorian sleeps for millennia at a time," Liara said, pacing across the comm room floor, gesturing excitedly as she spoke. "And life for it is quite dull, by our standards, worried about soil nutrient contents and moisture levels. I don't know how old it is. Five hundred thousand years? A billion? I can't conceive of how it measures time, but it remembers other animal intelligences coming to Feros, long before the Protheans. And it remembers the Reapers. Maybe it absorbed some of them? The first time it tasted thoughts, they were empty. Even so, the disappearance of animal species did not affect it. We came, lived and died, and it used us when it could. I'm not sure it even recognized us as intelligent, our culture, our thoughts, just noise. How could anything so small, so short lived, be intelligent? It sees an entire world at once. It was shocked when I made contact with it. Amused, maybe. The little biped speaks in my mind?"<p>

"Liara," Kara interrupted, smiling.

"Sorry. That's how it sees us. We don't matter. We're too transient, and too alien. The colony should be evacuated, and the Thorian left alone."

"I agree," Kara nodded. It was selfish of her to claim this moment for herself, to be the first to hear the Asari describe her experience. To see the enthusiasm on her soft blue features.

She found it relaxing.

"And the Protheans. _Satharii_. I spent my life looking for hints into their culture, and now my head is so full with them, I can almost see through their eyes. Kara, I—"

Holding up her hand, Kara stood. "Once we're in space, Liara, we'll sit down, and you can spend hours telling me about who the Protheans really were."

Liara lowered her face, smiling shyly. "You know I could, too."

"I know you want to," Kara grinned, "and I'm happy to let you—"

"_Captain_," Keyx interrupted, over the comm. "_The head of Colonial Affairs is waiting to speak with you. Doctor Baynham is on her way up._"

"Send her straight in," Kara said, switching on the main display. Liara gave her a warm smile, and left the room.

The Minister of Colonial Affairs was a squat, heavy-set man, brown skinned, his eyes steel grey. They regarded her with barely concealed hostility. Kara supposed that, being an important member of the current government, it was his duty to believe their propaganda. "I'm a very busy man, _Spectre_ Shepard. I've been laying plans for the evacuation of our colonies in the Traverse."

For which he blamed her. Opening the channel before Lizbeth arrived had been a mistake, it seemed. Fortunately, the walk from the crew deck did not take long at all, and she entered the comm room before Kara felt compelled to reply.

"Lizbeth, this is Terrance Quatal, Minister of Colonial Affairs. I believe he's already seen your file."

"Minister—"

"Are you aware, Doctor Baynham, that collaborating with traitors exposes you to the same charge?"

Lizbeth turned, wide-eyed, on Kara. "Traitors?"

Kara sighed. "Insults thrown by demagogues are not serious charges, Terrance. Will you shut up and listen, or shall we end this now?"

He leaned back, making a gesture that might have been a shrug.

"Minister," Lizbeth said, beginning again, her voice more guarded. "Captain Shepard's involvement has enabled my coming forward, but I assure you I haven't collaborated with her. ExoGeni's atmosphere has psychoactive properties that affect the judgement of humans after mid-term exposure, which ExoGeni discovered about ten months ago. This fact was hidden from the colonists, and from your department, while I was hired to research the phenomenon. When I expressed doubts, Ethan Jong, head of ExoGeni Feros, threatened not only me, but my mother."

Terrance rapped his fingers against his desk impatiently. "There's nothing I can do."

"Sir, the Zhu's Hope colony must be evacuated. ExoGeni is under your jurisdiction."

"I need every passenger and colony ship we have to be ready and waiting, in case the Prime Ministers makes the call to evacuate our officially established colonies in the Traverse. There's nothing I can do."

Even though it was probably true, Kara had difficulty seeing it as anything but an excuse. A single _Kart-Hadasht_ class colony ship carried about five hundred colonists, with supplies and pre-fab structures, and could easily evacuate everyone on Feros, along with most of their possessions. An _Athabasca_ class freighter could provide cramped accommodations for just as many people, though not much else. "One ship won't make that much difference," Kara sighed, "but if you force me to make other arrangements, I will."

"Fine," he shrugged. "You do that."

"Minister, please," Lizbeth began, but the projectors shut off. He had already cut the transmission. "He didn't even ask for evidence against ExoGeni."

"Quatal was on the board of ICI, before he went into politics," Kara replied. "At least one of his aides worked for ExoGeni."

Lizbeth slumped into the nearest chair, resting her face in her hands. "You knew he wouldn't help."

"I hoped he would send a ship, but no. I didn't expect action against ExoGeni until the colonists demanded it."

"Damn it," she muttered, before straightening up. "What will happen to the colonists now?"

"We ask the Council for help," she sighed. A conversation with them was already on her schedule. It seemed that she had no choice but to involve them in human affairs, once again.

* * *

><p>"Shepard," Torres groaned, frowning at her from across his desk. "Whatever your excuses are this time, I don't want to hear them. There's no chance in hell that my superiors will forgive blatant piracy, no matter how you justify it."<p>

"I realize that," Kara said. "That's why I came. I've spoken to the Citadel Council, and the Asari Republic has agreed to dispatch a ship to evacuate the colony. You're being offered a new contract."

He snorted, and shook his head.

She had, admittedly, bullied him into submission on two occasions. He most likely expected that to continue. "It's a favorable deal," she continued, standing and walking around his desk. The brought up the document on his console, passed to the tower's mainframe before she left the ship. "The Council will take over payments to you and your men, with a twenty-five percent increase in pay. Until the transport arrives, you'll hold ExoGeni's staff here, in the tower, and you'll supervise the evacuation from the surface."

"And what happens when it's done? Corps hate it when you break contract, and it doesn't matter why. Not that you care, right? You'll be off pushing some other poor bastard around."

He was probably right. "You must think I enjoy it," she sighed, returning to her chair.

"It's how people are."

"Of course. It's what they're taught." Some children didn't learn their lessons very well, however. "You'll find, Michael, that most aliens dislike humanity, not humans. You shouldn't have trouble finding work. Salarian merchant ships often hire outside security."

"I'll have the damnedest time convincing the boys," Torres frowned. "Is there another option?"

"You can take your chances with ExoGeni," Kara told him. "The Asari will come, and evacuate the colony, which will be much more dangerous without your support. You'll go with them, or not if you prefer."

"And will you… condescend… to explain why the hell this is necessary?"

Kara leaned forward, meeting Torres' gaze. Far too many people already knew of the Thorian's existence, including those who had already tried to exploit it. One more was unlikely to cause trouble, or further boost the conspiracy theories that would rise out of recent events. He needed to know, if only to anticipate the potential resistance of the colonist, and why. She made her explanation brief, touching on the Thorian and its mind controlling spores, but not describing the creature in great detail. "You can get the details from Ethan, if you want more."

"Shit. That's what you were after?"

"No," Kara said, leaning back again. "I was after a connection to Cerberus, but that investigation can be passed off to someone else."

"So you'll be leaving now?" Torres said, struggling not to smile. Perhaps he worried that it would offend her.

Kara stood. "As soon as you've made a decision."

Torres nodded, staring at his console. "Give me an hour, Shepard."

* * *

><p>"Shepard, I have a request to make."<p>

Kara stopped, turning to face the Krogan. The wind howled in gusts over the patched-up Prothean skyway, tossing her hair about in a most annoying manner. She clawed it out of her eyes. "A request?" It had surprised to her find that he, and not Garrus or Liara, had waited for her to speak to Torres, and make a final visit to Ethan. Almost as surprising as his asking something of her.

"I have business on Tuntau, two days off the Argos Rho Relay. It won't delay us much, and now is the best time—"

"This is about your family armor, isn't it?" Kara asked.

Wrex nodded. "I told you about Tonn Actus. Auran has agreed to help me recover it. Seems like she thinks her father is more of a bastard than I do."

As Argos Rho was on their route to the Citadel, the journey would only mean a delay of four or five days. With Saren still in hiding, they could afford it, though it'd mean straining their supplies of dextro rations. She also wanted to encourage Wrex's efforts at connecting with the young Turian female. "I'll take you," Kara said, pushing her hair back again, as she gestured that they should continue. The wind was moving in advance of a storm front, if the darkening skies were any indication. "You and Auran will have to work out how to proceed from there."

"Auran wants your help, Shepard. She thinks you'll keep things civil."

"And you?"

The Krogan shrugged his wide shoulders. "I just want my armor back, but I'll go in shooting if I have to."

Kara sighed. "I'll give it some thought."

They had reached the outskirts of the colony, and the ramp that lead down to the spaceport. "I don't get why you're so reluctant, Shepard. This isn't what you wanted?"

"I respect that you're open to alternatives, Wrex, but I feel like this is your mission. It seems appropriate that you handle it without me."

Wrex snorted. "You make it sound like some sort of test."

"I admit to some curiosity," Kara said, "but you're old enough to handle yourself. You certainly don't need me judging you."

"That's pyjak shit, Shepard. We both know you have expectations."

"Which you are under no obligation to follow," Kara told him, as they entered the _Normandy_'s cargo bay. "Unless you're concerned about disappointing me?"

"Don't be absurd," Wrex grunted, trudging off towards the armory.

Kara grinned. As absurd as the thought seemed, he was almost sweet.

"Garrus," she said, approaching the Turian, sitting atop a crate with an ExoGeni label and talking with Orlanis.

"Shepard," he said. "We've finished 'confiscating' the artifacts. Everything is loaded and strapped down."

"Where's Liara? I expected to find her here."

"Crew deck," Orlanis replied, standing. "She picked out several items, and left as soon as everything was settled. She was very excited."

Kara smiled. It was easy enough to picture. The bright eyes, the shy smile. The tight line of her lips as she set to work. The effect was a little distracting. "That's her." She shook off the thought. "Our prisoner. Did you interrogate him?"

Orlanis nodded. "His name is Karl Jonson, formerly an Alliance marine lieutenant. He admits to working with Cerberus, but I don't think he knew about the Thorian. He claims that orders to assassinate you came through the day before we arrived."

She found it much more likely that Harper had used someone on the administrative staff to arrange Cerberus' shipment of Thorian creepers. "Good. We'll throw him off the ship as soon as Torres checks in."

* * *

><p>"Oh, Kara," Liara grinned, looking up from the close scrutiny of one of the Prothean artifacts they had confiscated. She was sitting at the narrow desk in the medical storage room, several more pieces of an ancient civilization spread out before her. "I'm glad you came."<p>

"Have you something to show me already?" Kara inquired, smiling in reply, as she moved to lean against the desk. The _Normandy_ had only departed Feros minutes ago, shortly after Torres had agreed to the new contract, cruising away from the planet at low FTL speeds. She could only hope that he would follow it.

"Well, no," the Asari said, her face turning back to the object in her hands. It appeared to be a statuette, in remarkably good condition. "I simply wanted to see you."

"Here I am," Kara said. Liara didn't reply, her attention lingering on the artifact. "What's that?"

"This is the single most impressive piece ever found on Feros. ExoGeni's archeologist believed the colonists forged it."

"You disagree?"

Liara stood, holding the figure up for Kara to see. It appeared humanoid, made of a metal-alloy, with a surprising amount of detail still intact. "He would have never seen anything like her before, but I recognize her. She is 'Song that Lights the Stars'. A Prothean client-race worshipped her as the goddess of beauty, starlight, and travel." Blue eyes rose, catching Kara's blue ones. "She's for you."

It would have taken someone quite oblivious to miss the intent behind the gift. Kara could feel her heart pounding. "Liara—"

"Kara, I was a fool. I pushed away the one thing I really wanted, because I feared losing it. Well, I want you back. I know I hurt—"

Kara silenced the Asari with a soft kiss. "Liara, I understand. You're not the first person to make a mistake."

"You're not even angry?"

From the moment Liara had left her, she'd been more angry at herself than anything. She didn't want to discuss her doubts, though. "That would get in the way of making up," she breathed, brushing her lips against Liara's neck.

"How about," Liara said, "you go to your cabin. I'll be along as soon as I get my armor stored, and we can continue our reconciliation in more comfort."

Kara glanced down. The young Asari was still wearing her armor, and looking no less attractive for it. "Oh. Yes."

"I was anxious to begin studying these artifacts," Liara explained, flushing slightly, "and I was not uncomfortable."

Kara stepped back, before she fell into another kiss. Getting herself properly aroused would only make for a more frustrating wait. "I'll be there," she said, her hand sliding along the door frame until her fingers found the controls.

The door opened, and she turned away. She walked quickly, ignoring Ehigha, and the crew that sat in the mess, passing time. She could have lingered, but she didn't even want to risk delaying her reunion.

She retrieved her datapad from the edge of the desk, and settled on the bed. It could a long half hour, if list of unread reports was as dry as usual.

* * *

><p>Liara locked the door as soon as she entered, and turned. She had dressed in a set of clothes she had picked out when they were last on the Citadel. The style was popular amongst Asari, and a little formal, her straight-legged trousers made of black cloth, and her long-sleeved shirt dark blue, the shade chosen to emphasize her skin tone, the front held closed by simple silver clasps. The hem hung half-way down her hips.<p>

Kara grinned, and swung her legs off the bed. She had already set aside her omnitool, and slid her datapad onto the desk beside it. "_Are you trying to seduce me, Doctor T'Soni?_" she asked, in the Asari's native tongue.

The young Asari laughed, glancing down self-consciously, before taking a first deliberate step. "_I thought I already had_," she said, as she drew close, and Kara rose to greet her. The mere act of hearing her voice, unobstructed by mechanical translation, had an intimate feeling.

"_I still feel a little un-seduced_," Kara said, but they were already falling towards each other, pausing only to savor the anticipation. Liara's lips met her hungrily, a slender tongue pressing into her mouth. Kara closed her eyes, and responded with rising desire.

When they finally parted, Liara gasped for breath, and pressed light kisses against Kara's lips between lungfuls of air. "_Better?_" the Asari breathed.

Kara laughed, pulling Liara down with her, onto the bed. "_Yes_," she declared, punctuating the word with a firm kiss, as she slid her hand up the Asari's shirt, first up, along her spine, then down, under the waistband of her pants, circling her _kassas—_the soft, sensitive patch of skin at the base of her spine, which most humans called the 'azure', despite the term being vulgar and offensive—slowly moving inwards.

Liara gasped, shivering a little at the touch. She leaned down, planting kisses on Kara's neck that slowly moved down her collar.

Kara moaned softly. The Asari's lips left tingling traces on her skin, which were not entirely inside her head; the subtle mental-link was an autonomous response, stimulating the nerves of their parter. Liara's soft fingers almost burned as they worked their way up her spine.

Cautiously, she opened herself to her partner, not on a mere, crude physical level, but she let go of her thoughts, and memories. She could see her pale skin, rising into the soft curve of her breasts, as Liara pulled open her shirt, making way for more kisses. She fell back onto the bed, her lover's passion mingling with her own.

* * *

><p>I'm sure some of you will be disappointed by this, but let's give them some privacy. Thanks for reading, please leave a review, and have a pleasant week.<p> 


	24. The Heroine

At about ten thousand words, this chapter brings this story to just under one hundred thousand words, minus these occasionally rambling author's notes. I've been writing this off and on since March. As a disclaimer; I have never served in the military, a fact of which I am proud. This may, however, result in my knowledge of procedure being borrowed mainly from other works of fiction.

Chapter Two(Rogues and Pilgrims) got an update this week, to take care of a timeline error present in the game. Chapter Five(Departure) got a small RetCon regarding Kara's implant. And Chapter Sixteen(The Maiden) added a section devoted to Asari history.

For those of you aren't going to reread them, I renamed the Destiny Ascension. So don't be surprised if it shows up later as the _Elleztere é Svesséa_. Translation in Ch.2.

NonSolus: Safe to say that Kara doesn't know of any official connections between Cerberus and the Alliance. Of course, she isn't omniscient, so the possibility remains. This is giving me ideas, so I won't say more.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR<br>_The Heroine_

**Elysium, Age 22.7 (Years. Months)**

_"Your eyes are like emeralds, filled with the light of a thousand stars."_

_Kara sputtered into her drink, a fruity Salarian cocktail that was presently all the rage. Ridiculously sweet, much like the line delivered by the smiling, black-haired marine standing over her, it would be forgotten in a week or two, as everyone moved on to the next big thing. She had delayed trying it, unconcerned with fashion, but curiosity had eventually overridden her good sense. "Excuse me?"_

_"I've seen you around," the marine said, a friendly smile on her face. Kara had seen her, too, and she rarely wore any other expression, even when on duty. "Such grace. Such beauty. And yet you're always here, drinking alone in the quietest pub on planet, while your friends have fun."_

_The implications were amusing; but Kara enjoyed her quiet corner more than bar games or dancing. To sit and drink and talk… not everyone shared her tastes, though, and she respected that. Presently, her usual companions were enjoying a louder and more active night. "I'm enjoying myself just fine."_

_The marine—Eve, Kara thought her name was—sat down on the bench beside her. "That's not a report," she remarked, peering at the pad in Kara's hand. "What is that? Asari?"_

_"It's a novel," Kara replied, nodding shortly to confirm Eve's guess._

_"Beautiful and brilliant," the dark-haired woman breathed, warm against Kara's neck._

_Kara smiled. Here was a game she didn't mind playing. "Are you always so over-the-top?"_

_"I'd be quite happy beneath you," Eve smirked. That was, to Kara's mind, a yes. The marine was in her early thirties, with a strong body and shapely breasts, accented by her tight shirt. Her round face was certainly attractive. They did not work together, even if they were both marine lieutenants, so there was no objection on that count. _

_"Is that… some sort of innuendo?"_

_Eve stared at her, her brows drawn down in confusion. "Really? Wait—you're playing with me."_

_Kara laughing softly, brushing her fingers through the older marine's dark curls as she casually placed her other hand on the marine's thigh. "Your eyes… are like a muddy field after a warm spring rain."_

_Eve rewarded her with a laugh and grin. "That's just not in the same class at all."_

_Narrowing the gap between them, but not closing it, Kara sent a warm breath pass between her parted lips. "Not really my skill set, Eve," she breathed. "Normally I go straight to kissing."_

_"It's Eva," the marine breathed, pressing their lips together. Hers were full and soft, and her mouth tasted faintly of gin and fried onions. "I can work with that."_

* * *

><p><strong>Elysium, Six Days Later<strong>

_Smoke. Next to the screams of the dying, it defined the scene. Burning flesh, from marines blow apart by grenades. Smoldering synthetics. Kara took cover behind an overturned and burnt-out car, still smoldering, as enemy bullets passed overhead. More smoke. She coughed, wishing she'd worn her helmet, but she could hardly have known how the day would turn out. She summoned a biotic field as she rose, knocking a hole in the nearest figure's shields, and firing several shots. His skull exploded outward as her shots tore through his brain, and the back of his helmet._

_Her stomach protested the sight. She swallowed quickly and forced herself to focus. She could not let her weakness stop her, rising to fire on another target, a Batarian by his helmet. There were a dozen enemies at least, and those were just the ones she could see. They were trying to outflank her again. _Teach your enemies to fear you, and they will defeat themselves.

_With a yell, she summoned all her strength and wrapped the car in a biotic field, flinging it away. It barely left the ground, bouncing and spinning with a dreadful noise of metal against concrete. It must have weighed more than two tonnes._

_The world dissolved in a sickening haze, but she ran anyway, a half-stumbling retreat that continued until she fell over a concrete barricade. Her barriers were almost drained, and her strength failing. Her pistol protested its dying power cells._

_She peered over the barricade. Shifting the car had been a tremendous feat of biotics and adrenaline, and had bought her a moment, as a pair of armored figures attempted to lift it and rescue a third, who struggled under its crushing weight. She didn't waste the chance, ripping open a packet of saccharine energy drink and swallowing its contents. The haze lifted slowly, leaving her tired, but at least able to keep up the fight. She breathed deeply, taking an extra moment to steady herself._

_Her relief was short lived. She had taken cover beside the body of a marine. The metallic shard had entered through the back of the black-haired marine's skull, not leaving much of hole there, but ripping open her face and spreading blood and brains across the concrete in a streak that lead back, towards the colony. _

_Eva had been a warm, determined woman, and a passionate lover. They were not friends, but Kara had entertained the idea of repeating the experience, when the chance repeated itself. Now she was just a corpse, and for no good reason; because their corrupt system created its own enemies, the desperate forced into piracy to survive, and the battered Batarian Hegemony pressured by the Alliance's expansion._

_Kara forced herself to breath, deep and slow. She felt sick. Angry. She wanted to kill them all. She swapped her pistol's power cell for one of Eva's spares, and holstered it in favor of the marine's rifle. Anger was weakness, a failing. She needed to remain calm. _Anger is a weapon of brute force, not finesse. The strength of a huntress lies in self-control.

_Eva had three grenades left, as well. Kara claimed them, and, struggling against exhaustion, formed a singularity in the middle of a group of advancing pirates. _

_She listened to their dismayed shouts for several seconds, then threw one of the grenades. The biotic field was too weak to toss the four pirates about, but strong enough to drag it and them into close proximity. Dismay turned to outright panic, and then an explosion. Silence. _

_She let the field dissipate. Her mind remained clear of haze, but she could feel the beginnings of a headache. Even with another energy drink, she doubt she could safely use her biotics for an hour at least. Still, she tore open her last packet, and swallowed its foul contents._

_Then she checked her borrowed rifle, stood, and began firing at the first target she saw. They were retreating, for the moment at least. _Idiots. _They should've attacked, while she was weak, not given her a chance to regroup. It didn't matter; she would likely die when they returned. And she would go down fighting._

* * *

><p><strong>Arcturus Station, Age 22.9<strong>

_The stage was set for news vid viewers, not for the small collection of staff officers and trainees that filled the first several rows of chairs. They too were mostly for effect-it wouldn't do to crown a heroine without an audience. She watched a half-dozen admirals stumbling about as they vied for the honor-a joke, surely-of shaking her hand as she exited. That would change when they saw her._

_"Lieutenant Shepard, please. You really must come with me," demanded a makeup artist with a seductive voice, tugging on her sleeve._

_"Back off," Kara hissed, shoving the middle-aged woman away, "or I'll tie you to a chair with your own fucking intestines."_

_Kara had gradually become aware of a change in how people responded to her. Before Elysium, the woman might have laughed and tried again. Now she back away carefully, the shadow of fear on her face. _

_Something in her eyes, or her expression? They tended to look empty, when Kara regarded them in the bathroom mirror, but maybe behind them, the shadow of something violent and frightened. She could feel it, sometimes, struggling to get out, and downed it in alcohol. She sighed, and wished, again, that she had died on the blood-soaked fields of Elysium. Too late for that. By some combination of luck and skill, she had survived, leaving trail of bodies in her wake. She had heard the stories—the evil Batarian pirates, who had in fact been mostly human. Her skill and daring. They had no idea of the truth, and she was not willing to tell it. She didn't want to remember._

_The admirals had all found their seats. One bearded specimen, in a dress uniform laden with medals, stepped to the podium. She didn't know him, and she didn't care to, but he droned on anyway. Duty, honor, sacrifice; the usual lies, spread liberally with praise for the sole marine whose 'legendary heroics' had 'saved Elysium' from an army of 'vicious Batarians'. Bullshit. "And now, it is my pleasure to welcome the Heroine of Elysium, Lieutenant Kara Shepard."_

_Her cue, obviously. She pulled off her dress uniform tunic—she would not have worn it at all, but they would have cancelled the ceremony, and she wanted to crash it—and walked confidently on stage. The applause slowed, uncertain, as she walked, and finally died. The bearded admiral—S. Hackett, read the patch on his uniform—stared at her in shock. She took the Star of Terra from him, pinned it to her chest, and took her own place at the podium._

_She had given some thought as to what she might say. A stunning denouncement of the Systems Alliance? A drunken rant, for which she had not really come prepared? The cold truth was easiest, and cleanest. "The good Admiral was kind enough to provide me with a pre-written speech when I arrived, complete with the usual acknowledgements. I think the intention was that I modify it to my taste, while keeping the general message. I was to start by thanking my friends and comrades. Your deaths, though bloody and painful, are what made my victory possible. If you had lived, I would not have had to fight alone, and the heroism which we are here to admire would not have been possible._

_"Next is the Alliance. They educated me; raised me. Taught me to kill, and used me as a weapon. Their marginalization and exploitation of impoverished colonies, longstanding assault on social justice on Earth, and encroachment on the Batarian Hegemony—all for the ongoing enrichment of one tenth of one percent of human civilization—is what provided me an army to test myself against._

_"Lastly is god. This is an ironic thing to ask of an atheist, but so be it. Thank you, god, for helping me to cover the Elysian Fields with the pale, broken forms of the desperate poor, and the scented breeze with the screams of the dying. I'm sure it was music to your ears."_

_She paused, finished perhaps, and for the first time surveyed her audience. There, in the front row, Kara noticed a middle-aged woman with commander's stripes on her dress uniform, and a familiar face. She should have guessed; she should have _known_. "One more, sorry. To Hannah Elizabeth Shepard, my mother—" the woman started, her drifting attention returning immediately to her daughter. Her face was expressionless, but her eyes were full of pain— "without whom I would not be the dutiful soldier I am today. For her years of care and devotion, I am in her debt."_

_She held her hand over her heart, unclipping the Star of Terra with her thumb. It rested in her palm as her hand lowered, then fell to the floor. She kicked it under the podium, before walking swiftly off stage. She did not spare the admirals a second glance._

* * *

><p><em>Kara groaned. Her head felt like she had tried to lift a large battle tank with an L2 implant. Her eyes resisted her attempt to open them. What the hell had happened? The last thing she remember was stopping by the bar on the way to her quarters.<em>

Oh. _The bar. She had needed a drink or two, to ease the pain and anger that had reemerged full-force during the award ceremony. She tried again to open her eyes. Dim lights overhead; soft voices in the background. These were not her quarters. A continued investigation revealed an IV drip on her arm. The medical ward? She had no bandages, and was missing no obvious parts; nothing hurt, besides her head._

_So a drink or two had become a drink or six. That had happened too frequently, in the last two months, resulting her suspension from active duty and a set of counseling sessions. This was the first time she had needed medical attention._

_She tried to stand, but even sitting up made the room spin furiously. Her stomach heaved, but nothing came up. She fell back onto the bed._

_Her efforts had attracted some attention, at least, from a pale-skinned young nurse, who helped her sip water from a plastic cup and told her to rest. She hadn't realized how dry her mouth was, and muttered thanks. He frowned disapprovingly, and walked away. She wrapped a weak biotic field about his leg, preventing it from moving quite like he expected during his next step, and he almost tripped, catching himself on the door frame._

_"Still feeling petty this morning?"_

Fuck_. She should have anticipated her guest, despite her on-stage performance the night before. Or because of it. Some people said that a mother's love was unconditional, but Hannah Shepard only ever gave her contempt. "Fuck off."_

_"So that's how you treat the woman who gave you years of care and devotion?" the elder Shepard inquired bitterly. "Public insult and suicide by alcohol aren't bad enough?"_

_Kara snorted, but didn't reply. She had nothing to say._

_"I remember the day you disappeared. I felt so sick I threw up. I had to beg Captain Umbata for leave, and hardly slept once on the transport back to Arcturus Station. None of your friends would tell me anything, and when I finally found out you were shagging that… that…"_

_"Girl?" Kara filled in. The memory was a fond one; Yejide Tipesh had been such a shy and unassuming teen, but she had somehow known just what she wanted, while Kara, friendly, popular, and at the top of her class, hadn't. They made an unlikely couple for about a year, when Kara had left the station, leaving her lover behind._

_Hannah's head shook, shoulder-length hair swaying as she did. A disappointed frown turned the corners of her narrow lips. "I don't suppose your taste has improved any?"_

_Kara sneered. It did not reflect well on humanity that such bigotry was not a thing of the past. Distant past, at that. She wondered how Hannah Shepard would react to learning that her daughter had sex with aliens. Badly, of course._

_"Too much to hope for. She just sat there looking miserable, insisting that she didn't know where you'd gone, or why. Are you going to tell me what happened?"_

_There wasn't a human alive who knew that, and Kara had no intention of making her mother the exception. "No."_

_"What is wrong with you, Kara? Are you so full of anger towards me that you can't believe I might care about you?"_

_"I'm not angry," Kara snapped, "I'm—goddess, you wouldn't understand. I didn't come to any harm."_

_Hannah nodded, sighing faintly, as she seated herself beside Kara's bed. "Thank you. Is it so hard to believe that I care, and I might want to understand?"_

_"No. It's simply too late." There were too many expectations dashed, too many insults thrown. She had never once felt the need to contact her mother, not in four years of wandering, and three serving the Alliance. She had no desire to hear about who she had failed, and what she had done wrong. That much she could see for herself._

_Hannah sighed, in frustration rather than relief. "I do love you, Kara. A mother's love is unconditional."_

I love you in spite of your failure_, Kara heard. "I've been loved for who I am," she said, softly. It was cruel of her, but that was the only relationship they had. It had not been her choice to continue it. "You only love what I am."_

_"I don't know who you are anymore—"_

_"You never did," Kara muttered. Loud enough to hear or not._

_"—Why don't you tell me what happened on Elysium, before you finish letting it destroy your life."_

_"I learned that the galaxy needs less heroes and more cowards. There's nothing heroic about saving one life if you have to end another to do it. That there is no glory in war, only death. That the enemy loves her friends and family as much as you. We all repeat the clichés, but we don't believe them; and the sorry truth of it is, they're right, and we're fools."_

_Hannah Shepard snorted. "Sympathizing with pirates? If preventing rape and pillage is excuse enough for you to drink like that, you make for a poor soldier."_

_"You've never killed anyone at less than a thousand kilometers, mother. I shot people, and watched them die, begging for mercy as they did. I listened to a Batarian, his guts spilled by a grenade, cry for his mother. Would you rather I felt some sort of twisted pride?"_

_"Wouldn't anything be better than self-loathing? For God's sake, you were given the Star of Terra last night, not a summons to a war crimes tribunal." She drew the medal itself out of her pocket. "It's just so much garbage to you, isn't it? A janitor found it under the podium. 'Kara Elaine Shepard, for acts of heroism on Elysisum, 22.11.2176'."_

_"Fuck that. I'm no heroine."_

_Hannah shook her head. "If you don't straighten yourself out, Kara, you won't be an officer soon enough. There's talk of having you discharged."_

_It was no surprise. They had already suspended her training, after an embarrassing drunken incident. She really did need to clean herself up, regardless of the trajectory of her career. The military psychologist's assumption of PTSD was fair, whatever diagnosis he had officially returned, and if she would not accept help, she would have to deal with the problem herself._

_To start with, that meant no more alcohol. It was hard not to see it as a problem, and she had conquered worse. The training would be more difficult, as she would need to outperform their expectations just to make up for past failures. She could to that, too._

_The only thing that seemed consistently beyond her grasp was relating to the woman who gave birth to her._

* * *

><p><strong>Torfan, Age 24.6<strong>

_"Captain, I could take a small squad, and—"_

_John Battur was not a big man, but he had perfected an imposing presence. The set of his shoulders, the firm line of his mouth, they spoke of determination and strength. Confidence. "I said no, Shepard," he said bluntly, leaving no space for argument. He had already explained his reasoning; even a two person raid against the enemy outpost would risk alerting them to his unit's position, making the next day's assault all the more risky._

_Kara disagreed. It was the Alliance's brute force tactics that made the assault a risk. Their plan was not to outmaneuver their foe, but to crush the disorganized pirates beneath weight of numbers with bloody finality. Plenty of Alliance soldiers would die in the process, though there was little chance of failure. Kara frowned, and let the fight pass. For whatever reason, they did not get along. He was unimpressed by the so-called heroine of Elysium, and she regarded him as cold and calculating, a fitting commander of drones, not living beings with hopes and dreams._

_He was also her CO. Soldiers were supposed to respect the chain of command, to obey orders because their superiors had access to more information. Yet, they were all responsible for their own actions, regardless of orders. The Alliance would not approve, and if things went badly it would end in a court martial, but she did not anticipate trouble finding something else to do with her time. _

_Rather than returning to her cramped quarters, she made her way to the armory. With regular patrols coming in and out, no one questioned her need for her armor and weapons. Circumstances forced her to take a suit without an amp, since Biotics were not sent on routine patrols, so she added an assault rifle to her arsenal, to make up for the loss. Her personal amp—though lacking the power of a suit-integrated model—was more of a comfort. There were sound reasons why colonies were purposefully exposed to element zero, at great cost, not to mention the more controlled laboratory exposures such as her mother had chosen. Biotics made for dangerous soldiers. So long as the technology to enhance their natural abilities kept pace with other battlefield tech, that wouldn't change._

_Once equipped for her expedition, Kara checked the seals of her suit as she made for the side entrance. Torfan was a small moon, with just enough mass to have formed into a proper spheroid. The pre-fab bunkers dropped in by the Alliance Corps of Engineers had an eezo gravity net built in._

_"Lieutenant," said the private standing guard at the airlock, throwing an impressive salute. "I wasn't informed of anyone leaving."_

_"Just going for a walk," she said. A mystifying response, she suspected, but she did outrank him. Without specific orders, he made no move to prevent her entering the airlock. She secured her helmet as the air evacuated from the tiny room, the gravity grid slowly shutting down. In less than a minute, the external door slid open, and Kara walked lightly out onto the brown, dusty surface of the moon._

_Kara made her way north, keeping out of sight of the Alliance observation points whenever possible. She could not outrun a Grizzly, if Battur ordered one to pursue her, but it would quickly become not worth the risk of detection. With no atmosphere, meaning no wind or water to shape the surface, Torfan was roughly flat, soft ridges ripped apart by frequent small impact craters._

_To hide their presence, the pirates based on the moon had constructed their bunkers and storerooms deep underground, penetrating nearly to the frozen core. The concealed hangers for frigate-sized raider ships had been taken by Alliance marines in the first wave. The retreating pirates had collapsed the tunnels leading deeper into the complex, killing a number of attackers, and giving themselves time to regroup. Even so, they knew that unless they could drive off the entire Second Fleet, there would be no escape. They would fight with all the desperation that their position demanded._

_The outpost towards which she made her way was about fifteen kilometers from the Alliance bunker, an observation post, from which the pirates could keep watch on the enemy, but also an access point to their deeper tunnels. They had captured a four-person patrol after it strayed too close to their position. Command had managed to track them back to the outpost from orbit, and claimed that at least three of the marines were alive. They would certainly be used to try and slow the Alliance assault, if not rescued. Since the strategic picture demanded that the assault continue regardless, they would die._

_A good leader took even the smallest battles into account when fighting a larger war. They made the difference between victory and defeat; and if the admirals, or the captains, would not lead them, the Lieutenants had to. If she wondered why she even bothered, she thought of those soldiers, held captive by the pirates, and their fate. They did not deserve death._

* * *

><p><em>In the low gravity, Kara was able to make the journey in two and half hours. She had seen no signs of patrols outside the enemy outpost, but at that point it made sense, as an exposed soldier would make a tempting target for the Alliance frigates that patrolled the skies. A single pass and a few shots from their GARDIAN lasers could wide out a platoon. <em>

_Of course, no one outside limited her options for getting in. With no tracks to follow, it took about ten minutes to locate the door, built into the side of a small crater, and overall well-concealed by dark grey paint that helped in blend into the rock. She had to pry off the control panel with the blade of her combat knife, and override the locking mechanism. The doors parted with a blast of escaping air, instantly forming a cloud of ice crystals that just as quickly dispersed. Once she slipped inside, a weak biotic field was enough to knock the wires apart, and the door closed automatically behind her._

_Thankfully, the controls for the inner door were not locked, and she was able to open them, after convincing the computer to repressurize the small compartment. Forcing the external doors had almost certainly set off an alarm, so she came out with rifle in hand._

_Kara barely ducked the rifle butt aimed at her face, and threw herself at her attacker. The male human tumbled to the floor with her on top, He had managed to keep control of his rifle, and swung it at her._

_Capturing his arm, she twisted it until he cried out, dropping the weapon. Then she grabbed the collar-ring of his armor, and slammed his head into the floor. He went limp, unconscious but alive. She hoped that he had arrogantly decided to take her on alone, and failed to alert his comrades._

_Thankfully, a small security station accompanied the airlock. There were no alerts registered on the system, that she could see, but she did manage to find a map of the outpost. A brief but rapid descent led down to the main room, where a total of six pirates waited, with more in the nearby barracks. The cells were on the opposite end of the room, not far from the baracks. She couldn't tell if they were battle ready or idle, but she would need to hit them hard and fast either way._

_She move carefully down the stairs, grateful for the dim lighting, which kept her hidden from the one pirate who could have seen her approach. He was unarmored. Taking a final, deep breath, she readied her rifle, and stepped out into the open._

_Before they could even start in shock her appearance, she had launched a biotic field at the guard farther from her, and smacked her rifle butt into the skull of the nearest. Her next target collected herself quickly enough to block Kara's first swing, but not a followthrough punch that cracked her jaw. None of them got up._

_The remaining three pirates moved to surround her, one Batarian and two human males. She swept the feet out from under the tougher looking of the three with a low kick. The second swung at her from behind, but she ducked, nudging him to overbalancing with a biotic field. He tumbled over her, and she threw him lightly. He crashed into a chair and lay unmoving._

_The last, the Batarian, glanced at his fallen comrades, and began to back away. Smart of him, but futile; the slammed him into the wall with a biotic field._

_Distracted, she didn't notice the bulky human until he slammed a chair into her back. With full armor on, it did little damage, but it knocked her off her feet, and he loomed over her, leering unpleasantly, as he raised the chair again._

_Kara kicked him in the groin._

_His expression changed to shock, as the chair fell from his hands. He clutched his genitals protectively. Kara opened the emergency medkit strapped to her belt, and injected a sedative into his thigh, catching him as he slid to the floor._

_Groaning a little, she stood. The chair might not have done damage, but it still hurt. Cautiously, she checked over her fallen opponents. She left those that were unconscious alone, but injected those that showed signs of stirring with more sedative. None of them were seriously damaged._

_With them gone, it took little more than a moment to locate the cells, and bypass the lock. The first was empty, but the second contained two prisoners, dressed in their armor undersuits. One was male, caucasian in appearance. The other was younger and female, her features asian._

_"Are you okay?" Kara asked, offering them both a friendly smile._

_"Uh, yes," the woman replied. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"_

_"Kara. Disobeying orders," she explained briefly. "There isn't much time. Where's the third prisoner?"_

_"It's just us," the man said. "Fucking pirates."_

_Kara nodded. "Right. Let's go. Move fast, and keep quiet," she said, checking to make sure they followed as she made her way down the fall._

_The whistled softly glancing around the main room as they passed through. "Someone beat the shit out of these fuckers. Where's the rest of you?"_

_"It's just me," Kara hissed, "which is why you need to keep quiet."_

_"He's still alive," the woman muttered, pointing to a groaning pirate._

_"Up the stairs, now," Kara ordered. She had more sedative, but the man in question was concussed, and she didn't like the idea of administering it to him. She hoped it didn't cause more trouble, as she back up the stairs, after the freed prisoners. "Pressure suits, in the locker. Get suited up."_

_"Yes, ma'am," the woman said._

_Kara checked the security panel, briefly. Still no alerts posted, and no movement in the room before. She slid her rifle onto its clamps, and moved to assist the prisoners in getting dressed._

_"I don't know if it'll help, ma'am," the woman ventured, as Kara helped get her arms through the heavy sleeves, "but there's a Batarian tank hidden under some camo, about twenty meters from here. I saw it as they were dragging us in. I thought, if only we could get to it…"_

_"You can drive it?"_

_"I can drive anything," she grinned. "Ma'am."_

_Kara smiled. "What's your name?"_

_"Private Aoki Sayuri, ma'am."_

_"Stop saluting me, Sayuri. It sounds like we won't have to walk back."_

_With one prisoner dressed and ready to go, Kara moved back to check the security panel. A light was flashing. There was no movement, yet, but the display didn't show anything below the area of the guardroom. "Damn," she hissed. "Hurry it up, you two. We going to have company."_

_Sayuri nodded. "Stop fidgeting, Karol, and let me help you," she said._

_Kara readied her rifle, and moved to the top of the stairs. She could distinctly hear footsteps, despite the rustle of thick fabric and Karol's swearing. Another few moments, and a pirate appeared below her; she fired a burst at him, and he ducked back. "Hold your fire, private," she said, loudly. She hoped the pirates, seeing the damage done to their comrades, would believe there to be more than one of her, and hold back, rather than rushing the stairs. She couldn't hold them off alone. "Wait until you've got a clean shot."_

_"We're good, ma—Kara," Sayuri whispered. She had already pulled Karol into the airlock, when Kara turned to check; she followed them, quickly._

_Kara didn't wait for it to cycle, pulling open the control panel and ripping out the circuitry. With the power cut, she was able to force the outer door, with Karol's help. She hoped it would hold off the pirates, who were already beating on the inner door. Without the seal, they would have close the emergency bulkheads, and vent the security room at the top of the stairs. Even that wouldn't take much more than a moment._

_Not having any working comm, Kara settled for gesturing at the asian marine, who nodded, eyes bright, and began to trudge off._

_Karol followed. Kara took up the rear._

* * *

><p><strong>Arcturus Station, Fifteen Days Later<strong>

_"Captain Battur, would you describe what happened between you and Lieutenant Shepard on the Fifteenth?"_

_"Nothin' much to add to my report, ma'am," John Battur said, his eyes flickering from Kara's attorney, a middle aged woman with keen grey eyes, to where she sat, and back again. They were so full of anger when he looked at her—not so different from how he looked when facing the Batarians—that she found him quite disturbing. "Our orders was to take a position on the western edge of the pirate's underground base. We hit 'em hard, and I lost a lot of good men before we broke in. We was just a diversion for the main assault, comin' in from the other side._

_"After the fightin' was over, we found a group of Batarian slavers holed up in a security room, throwin' insults and threatenin' to rape our daughters. Dirty fucking bastards. I ordered that they surrender themselves up into my custody. They flung more insults like they was good as bullets, afore tossin' their weapons out. When they followed, one of 'em pulled pistol. That's when Shepard shot me."_

_"And two days earlier, you wanted to discipline her for another infraction?"_

_"Yes," the captain said, launching into a mostly accurate description on the pirate ambush that had captured Privates Aoki and Karol. His description of their argument was more skewed, emphasizing insubordination that she hadn't showed. "So I gave 'er a direct order to stay put. A rescue attempt'd put more marines at risk than just two of 'em, I said. It'd make our assault on the pirates that much more of a risk, I said. I figured she'd accepted 'em, but an 'alf hour later, I was told she'd left the base. She'd not told anyone what for."_

_"And where did she go?"_

_"On her idiot rescue attempt. Showed up three and a half hours later in a stolen Batarian tank. The whole base was roused before she crawled out the hatched, that Asian girl following her like a lost puppy."_

_"So she did rescue the two marines?"_

_Battur frowned. "Yes."_

_"And did this rescue harm the Alliance attack?"_

_"No," he admitted, grudgingly, "but that's not the point."_

_"Isn't it?" Kara's attorney asked. "The Alliance encourages its officers to take the initiative.—" No, it didn't— "If your orders were flawed, Lieutenant Shepard made the right decision, didn't she?"_

_"Initiative in carrying out their orders," Battur said. "Not disobeying them. No military can afford to ignore insubordination like that."_

_Kara frowned. Point to him, she decided, though his obvious racism didn't help his case._

* * *

><p><em>"Private Aoki, you were captured by pirates during the operation on Torfan. Could you describe how?"<em>

_"My patrol was ambushed, sir. Private Karol and I were the only survivors." Sayuri looked nervous, faced by the stern military prosecutor. Her eyes flickered over to where Kara sat, and she straightened, drawing a deep breath. "We were dragged off to their base and held there."_

_"And how long have you known Lieutenant Shepard?"_

_"Since the Thirteenth, sir," she said._

_"So she didn't have—" he coughed discreetly—"_personal _reasons for rescuing you? Her predilections in that regard are well known."_

_"Not that I'm aware of, sir," Sayuri said, "but I don't think Karol was her type." A joke? Her eyes did flit in Kara's direction, seeking… approval?_

_Kara smiled, as much as she dared. Again, the young marine seemed to drawn strength from her. It made her uncomfortable, but Sayuri was there because of her, and deserved her support._

_"Uh, no. How would you describe your relationship with her now?"_

_Sayuri shrugged. "She's a friend. What do you expect?"_

_"A friend. She saved your life, and now you owe her. So you would lie for her? Before us, here, today?"_

_"My service record is excellent. You have no right to question my integrity."_

_Kara's smile widened, a fact that Sayuri picked up on._

_"Forgive me, Private. I'm merely trying to understand how you can condone the Lieutenant's shooting of Captain Battur."_

_"I believe the rest of the court did just fine, sir. Should I try using smaller words?" Another swift glance at Kara._

_To his credit, the prosecutor maintained an emotionless expression. "Perhaps that would be helpful for those of us who aren't as… clever… as you, Private."_

_"Captain Battur was about to commit a war crime. Lieutenant Shepard stopped him. Is that better?"_

_"War crime! For killing a few wretched Batarians?"_

_"Unarmed Batarian prisoners. Sir," Sayuri added coldly. Her eyes turned on Kara again, holding this time. "I would like to add, for the record, that I will not serve in any organization that punishes people for doing what is right. As Kara did what is right."_

_Kara felt her heart skip a beat. It was expected that a soldier be willing to die for their comrades, but Sayuri was young, not long out of basic training. They really hadn't talked much, not having found much in common, but the young Japanese woman had seemed like a career soldier. To sacrifice that was an act of courage she hadn't expected._

* * *

><p><em>"Lieutenant Kara Shepard. Service number: 5923-AC-2826. Awarded the Star of Terra for heroism on Elysium. Nearly bounced out of IPC training for Drunk and Disorderly. Disrespectful of authority. Disruptive. Always thinks she has a better way of doing things." The prosecutor's smug smile was barely tolerable. "Oh, and mutineer. Have I missed anything, Lieutenant?"<em>

_"Only my wit and charm," Kara shrugged. Flippancy was unlikely to improve her chances, but she hardly thought that mattered. The hearing was little more than an exercise, to prepare the way for her court martial, as it had proven repeatedly._

_"Lieutenant, we've heard several conflicting descriptions of the events of the Fifteenth. Do you have anything to add?"_

_"No."_

_"So, you're not going to correct the record?"_

_"I'm sure the panel is capable of reaching its own conclusions," Kara replied, "but I could explain things in smaller words, just for you."_

_He hissed in annoyance. "Very original, Lieutenant."_

_"I'm not the best at telling jokes," Kara agreed. "I'm much better at political analysis. You see, if John had been a Batarian, and the prisoners human, I'd be awaiting my second Star. I would have prevented a massacre. Yet you insist that I interfered in what… an execution? Of unarmed prisoners, whose past was unknown? It's hardly a secret that the Alliance holds its enemies to higher standards than its own soldiers."_

_"This hearing is not concerned with Alliance policy, Lieutenant," said one of the three judges, an older man._

_"And I was fully aware of the potential consequences when I shot my CO," Kara shrugged. "If my career is over, so be it, but I will have my say first. The Alliance has spent ten years trying to provoke an armed response from the Batarians. Planting colonies on contested worlds, black-ops raids on shipyards and research labs, cyber attacks on economic targets—the list is long enough. The only possible conclusion is that the Alliance wants a war, because you think you can win it. Raids by slavers on our colonies aren't a tragedy—they're an opportunity to raise public outrage. A massacre of Batarian prisoners isn't a warcrime—it's an opportunity to anger the Hegemony."_

_Kara stared coldly at the panel. "I'm not sorry for what I did, and I will not apologize for it. I shot John because it was the only way I could stop him. Doing so may have prevented a war."_

_"That will be all, Lieutenant," the judge said sternly._

* * *

><p><strong><em>SSV Kyoto<em>, Age 27.0**

_Kara sat in her small but private quarters aboard the _SSV Kyoto_, a mug of tea in one hand, a datapad full of Quarian poetry in the other. On so-called high profile patrol, their mission consisted of little more than showing the flag over a few colonies. That said, they were also rotating marine garrisons on several of those colonies, so were full to capacity with fresh young privates. She was lucky not to have to share._

_When on duty, she spent her time training, and running the ship's total of a hundred marines, twice its usual compliment. Her own marines were a dedicated bunch, in fine shape after three months under her command, which was more than could be said for the rest. They were too green, eager to test themselves in battle, and not knowing what it meant._

_Kara, though, preferred dull. Lounging around half-naked in her quarters with a book of poetry, for example. She did wonder if the Alliance had posted her to the _Kyoto _simply to keep her out of the way of any incidents that might provoke more politically inconvenient disobedience, after they had failed to court-martial her for her actions on Torfan. She hadn't expected her career to survived, but they gave her the Medal of Valor, and sent her to elite IPC training. Her missions there, performed under close supervision, were always carefully selected to be inoffensive. And now? N7 graduate and Lieutenant Commander Kara Shepard trained marines on patrol cruisers._

_She snorted, and tried to focus her wandering mind on the poetry. While the Asari translations were beautiful and moving, she often wished she could read the originals, but these were, at least, translated by living minds and not VIs. They certainly created a stirring image of Rannoch in her mind, all reddish sandstone and narrow bands of green; the cities build into the rock of canyon walls and seaside cliffs. Were it not for the Geth, she would have placed it next on her list of places to visit._

_Unfortunately for her attempts at concentration, the _Kyoto_'s combat alert klaxons blared with a noise designed to wake even the most dedicated dreamer. She sighed and stood, pulling on her shirt between gulps of tea. Finally, she set her cup aside, and snatched her uniform tunic as she headed out the door._

* * *

><p><em>Like all Alliance ships designed for atmospheric entry, the <em>Kyoto _had a cargo bay on its lowest level, the main door lowering to form a ramp for loading and offloading supplies and personnel. This included a vehicle bay, with four combat-deployable M35 Makos, and two of the heavier M29 Grizzlies, incapable of mid-flight deployment. Behind that was the staging area for the ship's marine complement. This was Kara's combat post—making sure her marines were prepared for the unlikely chance that the ship was boarded, or for any other missions the captain might require._

_Had she not already known that no drill was scheduled, the constant roar of the ship's lateral accelerators, and the buzz of the capacitors that powered the shield grid, would have convinced her that the alert was real. She stood in the main assembly room, not yet changed into her armor, making sure that, as each squad checked in, they moved to their designated posts. Only about twenty of her marines would remain the assembly area, for emergency deployment or, in rare circumstances, boarding operations via the _Kyoto_'s armored combat shuttle, but their passengers were also present, filling up the deck in a confused throng._

_"Shepard," said her second in command, a dashing young lieutenant with hard grey eyes and confident manners. His name was Ira Hunsaik._

_"Report, Ira," she said._

_"We're being hit hard by pirates. They dropped out of FTL within a dozen kilometers, and started shooting before we could react. The _Svolder _and the _Pasargadai _are down."_

_Kara closed her eyes briefly. Their two frigate escorts, also crammed with extra marines, each had about sixty people on board. At best, perhaps a third of them might have survived. "Find Kato. Tell him to get his rookies out of my space. Sort out the ones that might be of use, and get them down to engineering. The rest, sent them to quarters."_

_"Aye, sir," he said, saluting quickly._

_An explosion shook the ship. Kara cursed under her breath. It was either a disruptor torpedo, taking out part of their shield grid, or the enemy had punched through their barriers with a mass accelerator slug. Either one made for bad news. "Abeje," she said, catching a passing marine by the arm. The middle-aged woman was an experienced combat veteran, a second lieutenant and one of her team leaders. "Take over down here. I'm going to suit up."_

_"Ma'am."_

Armor was unlikely to help her much if the ship was destroyed, Kara knew, but it would protect her from sudden depressurization, and she did need to be prepared if the captain ordered her deployed. She slipped quickly between the thronging marines, making her way to the smaller command armory, where she immediately began to strip down, stuffing her clothes in her locker, unfolded. She pulled on the cloth undersuit, designed to draw moisture away from the body.  
>Her armor itself was a top of the line Alliance model, with built-in biotic amplification. She would have declined the N7 logo, if it were optional.<p>

In any case, she began with the pressure suit, with patches of thick ballistic cloth over the joints, and other areas not covered by the armor plates. She began to strap them on next, starting from the bottom. Heavy boots, greaves and cuisses. The chest piece came in three overlapping parts, to make flexing possible, cuirass, plackart and fauld. Most of the suit's electronic components were there, or in the segmented back pieces, which contained its power supply and VI, and a clamp for an oxygen cylinder. Next went vambraces, spaulders and pauldrons, and finally the armored gloves.

_"_Commander Shepard, report to CIC_."_

_Odd order, that, and from Captain Li Kate directly. Normally, it was her XO, the unpleasant Terrance Kamai, who'd be giving her orders. She hooked her headset over her ear, and switched it on. "Yes, sir."_

_Taking her helmet from her armor case, she hooked it on her belt as she left._

* * *

><p><em>The <em>Kyoto_'s command deck smelled overwhelmingly of burning flesh. Kara almost gagged as she climbed out of the lift shaft—the carriage had locked halfway up, after another explosion. Her training included some understanding of ship command, including CIC layout and operations, so she could identify each station as she passed them, heading for the stairs down the captain's central console. Tactical. Engineering. Helm and Operations on the far side._

_Li Kate was in her late thirties, her black hair tinted red by the overhead status lights. "Shepard," she said, glancing up at Kara's approach. "You're XO. Take your post."_

_"Sir?" It was not a post she felt qualified to fill, training or no—that was mostly intended for frigates and corvettes._

_"Don't argue, Commander."_

_Kara nodded, stepping up to the central console. The holographic display showed the _Kyoto_, under attack by three other ships. In addition to their escort frigates, two other ships were drifting broken in space. One of the enemy ships appeared to be of cruiser weight, Turian configuration. The others were frigates, Alliance design, possibly constructed by a so-called 'dark shipyard', a construction ship employed by a corporation, and parked somewhere in interstellar space._

_She checked ship status on her auxiliary display. Barrier capacitors were at about fifteen percent capacity, recharging slowly as the enemy cruiser maneuvered for a clear shot. Their GARDIAN turrets were overheated, but had managed to hold off the enemy's fighters. A shot from the cruiser had torn open the main engineering compartment. Engine power was fluctuating, and the port maneuvering thrusters were off line. "Hunsaik, get every marine who can hold a spanner down to the engineering section," she said, switching on her headset. "Get Miranda off guard duty, and tell her she's the new chief engineer."_

_"_Aye, sir_."_

_She looked up at Captain Li, who nodded at her in approval. "Recommendations, commander?"_

_"We can't evade that cruiser on half-thrusters, and won't survive another barrage. We need time," she said, staring at the display. A light cruiser could take a full turn in about forty seconds, but this one was sluggish, struggling to align itself for a clear shot. Possibly, it was a mothballed design, a few centuries old, stripped of much of its useful tech by the Turians. If the pirates had fitted an abandoned hull with their own equipment, a single shot from the _Kyoto_'s main guns might break through its barriers. "Full starboard thrusters for a short burst, then turn to port. That should line us up for a clear shot."_

_"Helm," Li ordered, keeping her eyes on Kara. "Three second burst on all lateral starboard thrusters."_

_"Yes, ma'am," a young, brown-haired ensign shouted. On the tactical display, the ship began to shift relative to its target._

_"Roll, fifteen degrees positive, half power," Li continued, now watching the display. "Now, yaw to port, five second burst, three-quarters power."_

_The pirate cruiser, began to slow its turn, trying to escape from this unexpected maneuver._

_Li looked over Kara's shoulder, at the tactical officer. "Fire."_

_From the anticipated command, to the impact of the five kilogram slug on the enemy ship, was barely half a second._

_"Again." The first shot had broken through the ship's barriers, before crashing into one of the decorative armor 'crests'. The second had struck the crew section. "Yawn starboard, five second burst. And fire!"_

_This final shot tore through the hull, and several decks. The impacts left the ship drifting on an odd axis, its thrusters firing in an attempt to reassert control. The _Kyoto_'s main gun was still cleanly targeted on it._

_"Finish them, Lieutenant," Captain Li sighed._

* * *

><p><strong><em>SSV Kyoto<em>, Age 27.4**

_"Kara, sit," Li Kate said, standing up from the chair behind her desk as Kara entered her office. "Tea?"_

_"Please," Kara said, taking the nearest grey, cushioned seat, and watching her captain in silence. She had been training with her marines when the summons came, and hadn't taken the time to shower or change into her uniform._

_Kate moved to the small kitchenette, little more than a sink and electric pot, typically used for coffee, and filled a decorated ceramic cup with dark liquid. "You've been on my ship seven months now, isn't it?"_

_"Yes," Kara agreed. Three months in command of the marine contingent, before the ambush, and four months as XO._

_Kate sat beside her, holding out the cup._

_Kara took it, smiling as she breathed in the rising wisps of steam, sighing softly. It was always the black, plain, of the highest quality._

_"Most of the crew rates your performance quite highly," Kata continued, resting her elbows on her knees as she leaned forward. "You have a talent for inspiring self-confidence, and loyalty, two important things in an officer. I always had to work at them both."_

_The captain's expression had turned slightly bitter. "I've never had reason to doubt you," Kara said._

_"You see?" Kate grinned. "I dare say every department on this ship is functioning better than ever, including the galleys, and I thought that was impossible."_

_"That's just a matter of supplementing the supplies—"_

_Kate cut her off with a gesture. "I'd rather not lose you, Kara, but Command has made it very clear that XO on a cruiser isn't an appropriate use of an N7 officer. You're being transferred back to Arcturus Station for ship command, operations, and tactics training. You may get your own frigate in a few years, but honestly, I'm not even sure if that's what you want. What do you want, Kara?"_

_"Kate…" Kara sighed. She thought about it occasionally, when she began to feel trapped by her military career, but If she'd discovered a straight answer, she would have resigned in order to pursue it. "I don't know."_

_"Oh. I honestly expected a more defensive answer," Kate said. "You can be evasive when things get personal."_

_Kara shrugged. "I prefer to keep things close."_

_"Yes," Kate said. "What I'd like to know is why. You aren't timid. You're willing to break with orders, when you think they're wrong. Yet, I don't think you've got a single friend on board. I had hoped, by now, that you'd be willing to talk to me."_

_"I've watched enough friends die," Kara sighed. "This is better."_

_"That's not much of a reason," Kate frowned. "I expected something more, maybe something to explain the four-year gap in your record. Whatever happened to you, I'm sure it'd make for a fascinating story."_

_"No."_

_Kate laughed. "See what I mean? Is that 'No, it was boring' or just 'I don't want to tell you'?"_

_"That's not your business," Kara snapped. She could, with some justification, claimed concern that it would harm her career, or maybe that it would betray the trust of those who had actually shared those years with her, and helped her. Over time, though, her reasoning had changed, and she believed that it had almost as much to do with her desire to have a part of herself shielded, hidden from the prying eyes of the Alliance. That could also explain why the subject provoked such an angry response._

_Leaning back in her chair, Kate nodded. "As you say. I just find you remarkable, Kara, and I'd like to know more."_

_"I'm sorry, Kate," Kara sighed. "I appreciate that you trusted me. I've had COs who didn't. And I trust you."_

_"—but you're not going to talk." Kate stood. "Have your things packed before we arrive at Arcturus Station, Commander. The details of your transfer have been sent to your account."_

_Kara stood, and caught her surprised captain in a friendly embrace. "Thank you, sir," she said, nodding, as she stepped back._

* * *

><p><strong>SSV Anqing, Age 28.5<strong>

_Kara rested her chin on her arms, folded across the back of her chair. The world that slowly rotated on the main display in the _Anqing_'s comm room looked green and pleasant. And it was. Surface gravity was only slightly lighter than Earth normal, and mean temperature a comfortable twenty-three degrees. Idyllic, really, except for one important point; the native plants released a toxic pollen, easily filtered from the oxygen-rich air, but it was enough to make an agrarian colony impossible._

_"Report, Kara."_

_"Captain," Kara said, rising graceful to her feet, and turning to face him. Iraj Sadashiv was a tall, brown-skinned man with rich brown eyes and thick, black hair, somewhere in his early forties. He said, with a casual smirk, that he didn't like to talk about it; but he sometimes let slip that he had an adult daughter, whom he had raised alone. She did not salute. "The tracking device we planted on the raider worked perfectly. Lieutenant Abrams reports that we're about to enter the Vostok system, on our final approach to Nodacrux." She gestured at the world on display behind her._

_"What's your assessment?"_

_"It's a near-garden world. Oxygen atmosphere, spectacular lightening storms, but toxic to human life. The survey team classified it as uninhabitable, which makes it a prime location for a hidden base."_

_He nodded firmly. "Good. Prepare your team, Commander. You'll deploy as soon as we enter orbit."_

_Kara nodded. It left her an hour in which to anticipate the pleasures of a combat landing in the new M35 Mako medium tank. She hated combat landings._

* * *

><p><em>The pirate base was constructed in a low valley, concealed from orbital scans by camouflage netting. If not for the tracker, Kara doubted that the <em>Anqing _would even have noticed it. However, they had found it, and waited out of sight, less than half a kilometer away. Lieutenant Chayton Jonson, sniper and second and command, observed the structure through the scope of his rifle. "I see movement," he said. "Half a dozen men and women, coming out of the base. They match the description of the raider crew."_

_"That's unfortunately," she muttered. The hope was to deal with the ship and crew on the ground, which would at least give them the chance to recover its cargo. If necessary, though, the Anqing was more than capable of destroying it in orbit._

_"Wait—there's someone else. She's wearing a uniform of some sort. Black and gold, with an open-hexagon logo." Cerberus. They were a pro-human terrorist organization, former Alliance black-ops, though both sides denied it. Kara suspected ongoing links between them, but even the rumors were difficult to come by, and often unreliable. She had first learned of them years ago, but this was her first encounter with them._

_"Damn." Kara opened a comm channel with the ship. "Captain, we've got a problem. There's a Cerberus agent down here."_

_"_Acknowledged, Shepard,_" Shadasiv said. "_Proceed at your own discretion._"_

_"Aye, sir." Her orders were to neutralize the base. Against shoddily-equipped mercenaries, that was not an overwhelming challenge, but Cerberus was reportedly well-funded. No matter—she had confidence in her team. "Back to the Mako, Chayton. We're going in."_

_They scrambled down the short hill, careful to remain out of sight, to where the Mako was parked. Kara slid into the cockpit's second seat. "Drive on, Jarrah."_

_"We goin' in shooten', Commandah?" he inquired, switching on the vehicles engine._

_"Not this time," she told him. "How many times do I have to tell you call me 'Kara', Lieutenant?"_

_"Always one time more, marm," he grinned. She would keep trying, but not everyone was comfortable with the informality she tried to maintain, even on the battlefield._

_"Chayton, you'll take Erika and secure the raider ship," Kara said, turning her seat so she could see into the rear compartment. "Jarrah, stay with the Mako. The rest of you are with me. This may be a Cerberus facility, so don't expect the usual amateurish tactics. You all know I prefer prisoners to corpses."_

_"We've been spotted, marm," Jerrah informed her "but they ain't goin' anywhere."_

_"Everyone ready to—"_

_"_Commander Shepard,_" Captain Shadasiv interrupted. Kara detected a hint of anger in his voice. "_I'm giving you new orders. Withdraw and prepare for pickup._"_

_What? That didn't make much sense. Patrol and recon ships had standing orders to disrupt terrorist cells on contact, which were only overruled in emergencies. "Why?"_

_"_Just do it, Shepard._"_

_"No," Kara said, closing the channel. Cerberus was a blight on humanity, and she had no intention of tolerating it. If the Alliance wanted to court-martial her, they were welcome to try. Again._

_"I'm going in, orders or no," she continued, turning to her squad, looking them in the eye one at a time. "Any objections?"_

* * *

><p><em>The girl was about seven, tall for her age, but thin. Her eyes were brown, so filled with despair that they had no room for fear, her small hands trembling as Kara knelt before her.<em>

_"Hey, it's all right," she said. Pulling off her armored glove, she gently touched the girl's cheek. In too many ways, the girl was reflection of herself at that age. She hadn't been much older when they'd installed her first implant, beginning a decade of agony that had only ended with the kindness of strangers. "They won't hurt you again." _

_"Commandah," Jarrah interrupted. He sounded almost dazed, overwhelmed by what they'd discovered. "The _Anqing _has landed. Captain Sadashiv's on his way to the commandah's office."_

_"Thanks, Jarrah," Kara said, smiling over her shoulder at the lieutenant. "And thanks for sticking with me."_

_The marine mustered a soft smile, as he knelt as well. "Hi, dearie. 'Ave you got a name?" The question was met with silence, and she sighed. "It's like you say, marm. Don't follow your orders away from your conscience. No one kidnaps children on my watch."_

_"Thanks to you, she can go home," Kara said softly._

_Jarrah scooped the girl up in his arms, as gently as one could in armor. His young burden clung to him without much enthusiasm. "The captain had better have a good explanation for his orders."_

_He did; they weren't his. Sadashiv firmly believed that humanity needed to solve its own problems, but he was no Cerberus sympathizer. "I think he's on our side. Get all the kids together, and get them to the ship. See if you can't find them in one of the missing person databases."_

_"Yes, marm," Jarrah nodded. Kara followed him into the corridor, but turned in the opposite direction, towards the base commander's office._

_The Cerberus commander was an attractive woman in her mid-forties, dressed in a tight uniform, with the name Safiya Marie printed on its chest. The fear in her grey eyes betrayed her coldly stoic expression. A funny thing, really, that she should be afraid, after what she'd done._

_"Well?" Kara asked, sitting on the edge of the woman's desk. "Would you care to explain any of this?"_

_"I acted in the best interests of humanity," she declared softly._

_"We both know that's propaganda, Safiya."_

_"Future generations will be in debt to us, for the work we do," she continued, "even while they condemn us. Like you, they're cowards, who just don't want to get their hands dirty."_

_"Commander Shepard has been called many uncomplimentary things," Captain Sadashiv said, coming through the doorway. "Coward isn't one of them."_

_Kara stood, and turned to face her captain. He was wearing his uniform, rather than combat armor, a somewhat risky decision, of which she approved. "And what have you called me today?"_

_"Insubordinate."_

_Kara shrugged. "That's nothing to what I'm thinking of calling you."_

_He laughed, gesturing that she should follow him into the hall. "I was just thinking of you in basic training, Shepard. Some big drill sergeant shouting insults at you, and you just stare back."_

_"Why did you order us to withdraw, Iraj?"_

_Her captain sighed, rubbing his forehead as he stared down at the floor. "You aren't the only officer to receive orders they don't want to obey. Honestly, I don't how you get away with it. My report on this incident will clearly state that I support your actions, and when you come up for review, I'll state that you're an excellent officer, who is ready for her own command. Because I want you off my ship."_

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading and reviewing. Cookies for anyone who can tell me why Kara was never discharged.<em><br>_

Hint: the answer is not obvious to Kara. Another perspective might be helpful.


	25. The Wanderer

Answer to last week's question: Nihlus Kryik. The Alliance would have groomed someone else for the first human Spectre, but the Council wasn't keen on the suggestion, and Nihlus repeatedly showed interest in Kara(see her service record, _Silhouettes_ six). You can see how that worked out for them.

NonSolus: I currently have no plans to write back story for anyone else. I'd need to have a story to tell about them, and, rather like Liara, I'm not sure I do. I am aware that _The Maiden_ was a collection of disassociated scenes. That's not to say I won't come up with something, though.

About this chapter… there is a certain amount of unpleasantness ahead, though the worst of it is limited to a single scene. It is clearly labeled with a warning, which you are free to ignore, or not.

Twelve thousand three hundred words. Next chapter will be of more average length, I expect.

Updated 9/3/13: Sixteen thousand, five hundred words now. Kara's conversation with Kleth is expanded slightly(Citadel, part one), but the sections on Palaven and Sur'Kesh have been mostly rewritten, and should provided a much more interesting look into their cultures. The rest didn't get more than an occasional polish.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE<br>_The Wanderer_

**Arcturus Station, Age 14.9 (Years. Months)**

_From a distance of centimeters, Kara found herself staring into complex brow eyes, rich circles flecked with soft grays and oranges. Black eyelids closed. Lips pressed against hers, dry and warm, wonderfully soft, a darting tongue leaving a trace of moisture. She was being kissed, by a girl. An uncool girl, one she had pointedly ignored, at that._

_Kara didn't like girls. She liked boys. She had told herself that for years, every time she found her eyes lingering on the bodies of her dorm mates. It didn't change the fact that the healthy young curves of Yejide's body, pressing lightly into hers, were more arousing than her tedious encounters with the opposite sex. _

_She pushed the girl away. "What the fuck was that?" _And when can we do it again_._

_Yejide took a step back. Was that terror on her face? What had made her take such a chance? She was not part of any of the more unpopular groups, simply isolated, ignored by everyone not looking for a laugh at her expense. "Sorry, sorry…"_

_"Don't walk away. Answer me."_

_"I just though…" Yejide muttered. "You invariably look so lonely…"_

_Kara did not, for the most part, participate in the crueler games of her clique, but she had seen Yejide driven to tears by them. It hadn't interested her, but she never intervened, preferring to torment known gays rather than the socially awkward. How would her friends react if they knew the truth about her? Badly, and that knowledge did isolate her._

_"I should go…"_

_"Wait…" Kara breathed._

_Yejide turned back, uncertain._

_"What—" Kara paused. Was she really going to do this? It would hardly help her popularity, and she knew nothing about Yejide, aside from seeing her around for the last four years. "Would you like to… to do something? Together? With, uh, me?" Dammit, she was making a fool of herself._

_Yejide grinned, just the sort of unrestrained expression of emotion that earned her the mockery of her peers. "There's nothing I'd rather do, than stand with you," she said, her sonorous voice lowered still further, as though she were delivering a line._

_The line itself was so awful, Kara could only imagine that it came from some cheesy comic. The ice queen, as her previous boyfriends called her, and the antisocial nerd, they were incompatible, a total mismatch, an impossible couple. That knowledge didn't stop her from smiling as she drew close, finally moving in for a second kiss. It didn't make the taste of Yejide's lips any less sweet, either._

* * *

><p><strong>Earth, Age 15.5<strong>

_"Happy birthday, darling."_

_Kara frowned irritably at her mother, despite the elaborately wrapped present in the woman's hands. "A bit late, aren't we?"_

_"I'm sorry, Kara," Hannah sighed, "but we already went through this. I couldn't get away. Someday, you'll understand that life doesn't let you spend as much time as you'd like with the people you love."_

_As if that was supposed to make everything better. "You didn't even call."_

_"So we should have another fight? Can't we just talk for once?"_

_Kara shrugged, and walked over to the nearest window. Their tiny, rented cottage had a good view of a small part of New Zealand—apparently, the ancestral home of the Shepard family—though there was little good to see. "The weather is beautiful for this time of year." Hot and humid, actually, and the brisk wind tasted of industrial waste. This was her second trip to Earth, the first being for a school trip, and she found that she hated the so-called blue marble. It was dirty, and it stank. The people were bigoted and rude, and there were far too many of them. She would have preferred a visit to any of the colonies, some of which had lovely, temperate climates, and snow. She had never even seen snow, let alone watched it fall, or played in it._

_"That's what you consider talking? Why don't you tell me something about school?"_

_"We're learning about the Protheans. The Turians are so much more interesting."_

_"The gift of the relays—"_

_"—Makes galactic civilization possible, I know," Kara laughed. "That doesn't make for a very long lesson."_

_Hannah joined Kara at the window, putting her arm around her daughter's shoulder. "Well, I haven't studied the Protheans in twenty-five years, at least. They must had taught you something interesting that I don't know."_

_"Prothean ruins were discovered on Eden Prime just last year, but they haven't dug anything up yet. We still don't even know what they looked like. Oh, and we haven't a clue what happened to them. I've no idea why anyone would want to study them."_

_Hannah laughed. "Well, so, alright. Maybe I had those same thoughts, twenty-five years ago. How about those Turians?"_

_Kara returned to the small dining table, sliding her present closer. _To Kara Shepard_, the label read, _Love, Mom. _"It's fascinating, really. I remember hearing how brutal they were, when I was growing up, and how ugly, with their bug-like mandibles and beady little eyes. How they attacked us without provocation, and would have dropped asteroids on Earth from orbit if we hadn't beaten their fleet at Shanxi. Now they're a constitutional oligarchy with a subculture based in service to the state, that attacked us to prevent the illegal opening of a primary Relay. They wouldn't have _really _hurt us, even if the Council hadn't stepped in."_

_"You have an explanation for this?" Hanna asked, sitting across from her._

_"Propaganda?" Kara asked. There so few of her fellow students that she could really talk to. They were more interested in pointless gossip about sex than xenocultural studies. "Ten years ago, we needed an enemy. Today, we have the Batarians, the four-eyed xenophobic race of brutal space-pirates. I am curious, though. You see, I read Doctor Rvets' treatise on Turian culture, and the truth is something else entirely._

_"The Turians are an imperial power, and if you count raw numbers than they have the most powerful fleet in the galaxy. Nearly ninety precent of their population serves in the military for fifteen to twenty years, with the most promising receiving a free university-grade education and working R&D. Officers are selected from the ranks during basic training, and taught leadership and strategy. Their admirals are chosen by the civilian government, which takes recommendations from the Primarch, their version of—"_

_"Wait, Kara, slow down. Doctor who?"_

_"Sila Rvets. The Asari sociologist?" Kara frowned._

_Hannah gave no sign that she recognized the name, but her expression darkened. "You'd trust an Asari over a human?"_

_"Well…" And how did she answer that? Sometimes, certainly. Humans did lie. So could any other sentient being. "Yes."_

_"I'm sorry, Kara. I should have been there for you—"_

_Kara slapped her palm against the table. Their conversations always went like this. She showed a glimmer of independent thought, and her mother expressed shame. "Don't you dare apologize to me. I'm an intelligent human being, not a fucking VI."_

_"Who believe alien propaganda—"_

_"Instead of our own?"_

_Hannah let out an angry breath, and Kara, frustrated, turned her attention to the package. The paper was a soft pink, decorated with a flower motif. Pink and flowers had been her favorite things, just a few years ago. She had since moved on to more adult things._

_Tearing the paper away sharply, she stared in shock at the object inside. It was the most advanced omnitool manufactured in Alliance space, the latest in the Ariake Technologies XT series. Even military tech specialists and spies were issued cheaper models. "Mother, wow," she whispered, pulling open the box as soon as she regained control of her limbs. "Thank you."_

_Kara dug through layers of foam packing and plastic, finally reaching the device. The personal computer and electronics suite fit into the palm of her hand, and could be worn strapped to her wrist, or set on a surface, where it would generate a holographic interface. She had devoted herself more to developing her technical skills, as an alternative to her biotics._

_"It's my pleasure, darling."_

* * *

><p><strong>Arcturus Station, Age 15.9<strong>

_"Hi there."_

_The Asari was sitting in the civilian-section mess, sipping at a mug of steaming liquid as she studied an Alliance datapad. Her clothing appeared to be a uniform of some sort, which might have made her a military officer. Though it looked comfortably loose, it did not hide curves luscious enough to give every adolescent boy on the station wet dreams._

_Kara hadn't fared much better. There was simply something exotic about her, the soft-looking skin, the color of the glacial lakes they'd seen in historical documentaries, and wide grey eyes piercing and keenly intelligent. "Is there something you need, miss…?"_

_Some of the other students told stories, learned from the soldiers and civilians who passed through the station nearly every day. Tales of wild sex that made Kara flush with lust. Some of the older boys even claimed to have slept with the Asari already, but she dismissed such as testosterone-fueled bragging._

_Kara was determined to be the first. She had somehow managed to keep her relationship with Yejide a secret from the rest of the students, as they pawed at each other with increasing desperation, in whatever quiet corners they could find. Was it love, when she feared her own desire more than anyone else finding out? Asari reportedly oozed seduction; some claimed it was mind control. Even the straightest girl couldn't be expected to resist that sort of charm. She could have and enjoy without fear. "Kara."_

_She waited patiently for the Asari's seduction field, or whatever it was, to take over. She even leaned forward, just in case she had sat too far away. Nothing. The alien's grey eyes were oddly disinterested. "I'm not looking for company."_

_Kara wasn't interested in being friends, and she wasn't much good at flirting. She stood, leaning over the Asari. "Neither am I," she whispered, and kissed the alien's full, purple lips._

_Biotic feedback ripped through her nervous system, agonizing in its intensity. She fell back into her chair instantly, her limbs unable to move. She struggled to breath, as the world spun before her eyes._

_"Because you are young, human, I'll let you walk away with some dignity," the Asari said quietly. "Next time, they'll have to carry you out."_

_Kara whimpered her agreement, or tried to. It took everything she had. Thankfully, the Asari relented. She gasped for breath as the feedback faded from her mind. "Sorry, sorry," she managed. Even after so short a time, she could easily see how her actions were a violation, and she was grateful that the target of her abuse had brought them to a swift end._

_She tried to stand, but a migraine arrived in the wake of the retreating feedback. It was the worst she'd experienced, even after hours of forced biotic training. She swayed, uncertainly; she didn't feel her legs buckle, but she saw the deck plating approach, almost in slow motion. Something caught her, before everything went dark._

* * *

><p><strong>Age 15.10<strong>

_Kara stuffed a few sets of clothes into a new travel bag. The last month had been closer to hell than any sentient being deserved to experience. Rumors of the incident with the Asari had spread quickly through the student body. _Even an Asari wouldn't sleep with that bitch_, sneered one of her old boyfriends. _She didn't pass out like that when I shoved my cock in her mouth, _lied another. Her best friend called her a disgusting lesbian. Yejide had refused to even speak to her. _Had I said no, would you have tried to force me, too? _She felt dirty._

_After she passed out, the Asari had carried her to the medical ward, and remained at her side until she recovered. That denouement had been uncomfortable, as the person she'd assaulted apologized for hurting her. She blamed herself, her ignorance and arrogance. Her self-loathing. They had driven her forward equally._

_The Asari were not as humanity, men especially, represented them. It had taken only five minutes of actual research to discover that. They regarded sex as a necessarily consensual experience, and even minor violations were treated harshly. In their view, she was beneath contempt. As she was in her own._

_Kara hissed, tossing in a bag of toiletries. Her life had not exactly afforded her many possessions. The Alliance took reasonable care of its wards, so they were not in need of much. She strapped on the one thing she did have, her omnitool. She had modified it with several illegal programs, including the best hacking tools available, and trained herself in their use. They would get her off the station. After that… well, she didn't know. She could run as far as she needed to._

_With everything packed, she shouldered her bag. The small dormitory was dark and quiet, the five other girls asleep. The would be no witnesses to her flight. She made her way to the door._

_"You're just going to leave?"_

_Kara's heart stopped at the sound of Yejide's voice. Not all of them had been asleep, then. "It's what you want, isn't it?"_

_Her lover's soft hand descended on her shoulder. "Don't be daft. Am I not allowed to get angry at the person I love?"_

_"I betrayed you," Kara breathed, turning around. "And what if you were right? What if I tried to rape you, too?"_

_"You just made a mistake. The rest of us do it all the time," Yejide snapped. That was surprisingly resentful, coming from someone far more intelligent than her. "Look, no one was hurt. The Asari didn't even file a complaint. There's no need for you to run away."_

_"I'm not—" of course she was running away. "I have to face this in my own way."_

_"By running away. Leaving me?"_

_Kara sighed. "I love you, Yejide, but I can't stay. There's so much out there for me to learn. You must see that."_

_Yejide stepped closer, brushing her hand suggestively against Kara's thigh. It had been more than a month since they had sex, and it was tempting, but—_

_"No. Stop that." Her lover's hand dropped away. Kara sighed in relief. "I'm leaving. You know how stubborn I can be."_

_The dark silhouette of Yejida's head nodded, the tears in her eyes catching the light. "I'll miss you," she whispered._

_Kara pressed the door control, and backed through. In the light from the corridor, she caught one last smile gracing her lover's beautiful round face, before the door hissed closed again._

_Summoning her determination, she switched on her omnitool, and began moving through the corridors. There was a freighter docked to the next section, due to leave in an hour. She intended to be on it._

* * *

><p><strong>Citadel, Age 15.10<strong>

_"Excuse me," Kara said, smiling at the Batarian sitting across the table from her. His attention was so focused on the holographic console projected by his omnitool that he hadn't noticed her arrive. She hadn't exactly encountered many of his species, but they were not as ugly as she had heard. The extra eyes were a touch confusing, but she thought she could manage._

_Two of his eyes shifted their focus to her. "Another human, come to poke fun at the Batarian exile? Get lost."_

_This time, Kara had done her research in advance, and tilted her head respectfully to the left. She didn't know the full intricacies of Batarian social ritual, but she hoped it would at least show her interest. "How are we ever going to learn, if we don't talk to each other?"_

_"You're not worried that I'll call in my slaver friends and have you carried off?"_

_Kara shrugged. "It's my understanding that only rogue pirate groups enslave non-Batarians. I don't know how much _official _support they have, but no, I'm not afraid of you."_

_He shut off the console. "More, now that the Alliance has started baiting us. The Hegemony sees it as a deterrent to your illegal colonization efforts. This is all just rumor, of course."_

_"Just like the rumors that the Alliance is funding Cerberus' campaign of terror?"_

_"You're interesting, human," the Batarian said. "Have you got a name?"_

_"Kara," she said. It was just that, now._

_"I'm Kleth, the poet, and general embarrassment to the Hegemony."_

_Kara smiled faintly. "Yes, I know. I've read some of your work."_

_Kleth studied her for a long, and silent, moment. "You aren't full-grown, are you, human?"_

_"No," she said, raising her chin defiantly. Her teachers on Arcturus Station had an irritating tendency to treat their students like children, while the aliens on the Citadel treated her as just another self-absorbed human. She was tired of both._

_For the first time, the Batarian smiled at her. "Curiosity is a prime virtue of the dissident, and should always be encouraged in the young. That, and skepticism. Don't undervalue what you have; without both, you wouldn't be here now."_

_Did he really see through her that easily? It wasn't just curiosity and doubt that had brought her to him, but her sexuality, and the self-loathing that had come of it, and her stupid, arrogant assumptions. She was determined to accept herself as a lesbian, and to correct her ignorance. He could help with the latter, at least. "I didn't come with questions, just to talk. I'm sure I'll think of some as we go."_

_Kleth laughed. "Well, I can do nothing if not talk."_

* * *

><p><strong>Age 16.0 (Trigger Warning)<strong>

_The lower wards were dangerous, a fact of which Kara was well aware. The one she had chosen from a home had a majority Turian population, with just enough Salarians to support the little café in which she worked. Humans were almost unknown, which didn't really help her blend in, but no one had objected to her presence, and she was fairly certain that CSec didn't even known she existed. Aside from that, she kept a close circle of friends, beginning with her boss, an Asari matron, and her female turian lover. And Kleth. of course._

_She had expected that, if anyone were to attack her it would be one of the Turian gangs that occasionally worked the area. That, though, would be too obvious. "We's seen you hangin' round with that filthy Bat'rian," drawled a male human, probably about forty-five years old, his pasty white face dark with beard stubble. "Sniffin' round that 'Sari whore, too. You sum kinda alien lover?"_

_Of course, Kara was alone, on her way to the tiny room where she slept at night. That was always when bullies struck. She raised her face defiantly. She did not answer to a smelly thug. "Get out of my way."_

_"Me and me buds thinks you need a lessin' in manners," he grinned. So there were five smelly thugs. Kara had every reason to believe her self-defense training could hand one, or maybe two, attackers, but those were too long of odds. She could give in, but that wouldn't make his 'lesson' any less unpleasant. She would have to fight._

_Rushing forward, she landed a blow on the speaker's jaw that sent him stumbling backwards, and rounded on the next man, catching him with a hard blow to his gut. She turned on the next, but he caught her arm in mid swing, as one of his friend's grabbed the other. _

_"Get the fuck off me," she snapped, struggling to break free, but they were too strong, and the other three were closing in. Their leader punched her in the stomach, leaving her gasping for breath. She could endure a beating, if she had to. She worried more about theft—her omnitool was extremely valuable. She met his gaze undaunted at first, but the look in his eyes was disturbingly aroused. She shuddered, and looked away, as she realized what he intended._

_He laughed, cruelly, and tore open her shirt. "Shit," he mocked, eying her breasts. "I'd better not find a cock in your pants, girl."_

_She closed her eyes, her face hot with shame. Her classmates had teased her for her breast size, but she had maintained enough popularity for it to stay gentle enough to endure. To have to some fucking pig-faced rapist suggest that she wasn't feminine enough for him, though? And the rest laughing along with him? She renewed her struggle, her face wet with tears, but she was trapped._

_Unless… it wasn't something she wanted to attempt. The alternative was far worse than a passing headache, though. She bit her tongue sharply, following the pain, forcing it to help her focus._

_"Get her clothes off," the man ordered. Kara had to distance herself from the rough feel of their hands on her skin, to hold back the terror. It was the hardest thing she'd ever done, but as he approached her, his pants pushed down around his knees, she hit him with the strongest biotic attack she could muster._

_The field took him unaware, and he flew twenty meters down the corridor before rolling to a halt. He lay there, motionless. The clawing terror lessened it's assault, as the men around her back away in shock. They had probably never seen biotics in action, and their fear gave her an opening. She did not intend to miss it._

_Struggling to her feet, she knocked the nearest man out with a biotic-enhanced punch to his jaw. A third ran at her; she pulled his legs out from under him, and he slammed face-first into the floor._

_By then, the only thing she still felt was fury. A fourth man had his hands up placatingly, when the last struck her from behind. She stumbled, hardly feeling any pain, and rounded on him, hitting with a field that slammed him into the nearby wall. He left a smear of crimson on the dull grey surface as he slid to the floor, but she hardly noticed._

_One left, she realized, backing away from her in terror. She didn't care—he was as much at fault as any of them, and she rushed him, lifting him into the air with her hand around his throat._

_He was whimpering something. Begging for mercy, she realized, as she might have done mere minutes before. It washed away her anger, and she dropped him, suddenly feeling small and weak again. Covering herself as best she could with her torn clothes, she fled._

* * *

><p><em>"Kara?" Lixandris said, her expression going from surprise to horror as she took in Kara's torn clothes and tear-stained face. The alien-ness of her richly resonant Turian voice was oddly comforting. "Spirits, what happened? No, just come inside."<em>

_Kara stepped tiredly across the threshold, allowing the Turian to take her arm, and guide her to the couch. She had made the journey to the small suite on instinct and adrenaline, any possible attempt at coherent though pushed away by terror, and a migraine that pounded across her brain._

_"Narelle," the Turian called out, wrapping a blanket around Kara's shoulders. "Narelle!"_

_"Yes?" replied Kara's boss, a pale purple Asari with darker radial facial markings, which accented the roundness of her face. "Oh, Kara, what are you—what happened?"_

_Lixandris had kept a comforting hand on Kara's, but Narelle sat beside her, and put an arm around her shoulder. She felt her body tense, at first, but she trusted the couple, and tried to relax into the Asari's embrace._

_"Lixa, would you make her a cup of that tea she gave me? The ginger?"_

_"Sure," the Turian said, moving away._

_Narelle touch her cheek, gently. "I don't know who did this, Kara, but you're safe. I won't let them hurt you."_

_Though she knew it, hearing it still felt good. Calming. Only, as the fear and tension faded, the migraine seemed to spread into the vacated space. She whimpered softly, and pressed her hand against her temple._

_"What's wrong?" Narelle asked softly._

_"Had to use my biotics," Kara muttered. She had already explained about the headaches._

_"Let me try to help?"_

_Kara pulled away, studying Narelle's face. She saw only compassion in the Asari's brown eyes, and nodded softly. "Yes."_

_Narelle raised her sturdy hand to Kara's forehead, keeping eye contact as she did. "Try to relax."_

_Slowly, Kara became aware of the Asari's mind. Not thoughts, just a sort of pulsing warmth that washed over her like gentle waves, washing away the hurt. She felt inexplicably drowsy. Someone with strong hands was putting her to bed, and tucking her in. The air smelled of ginger tea._

* * *

><p><em>Lixandris and Narelle were both waiting for her in the kitchen when she emerged from the bathroom, dressed in a set of the Asari's clothes. The Turian smiled at her kindly, and pushed a mug of tea in her direction. It smelled of ginger, and Kara took it gratefully.<em>

_"How are you feeling?"_

_Kara smiled in return. Clean and safe, though still tense, and a little vulnerable. Whatever Narelle had done to her, it had effectively taken care of her migraine. "Much better, thank you."_

_"CSec picked up five human males last night, not far from where you're staying," Lixa said. "One of them had his pants down. It seemed like they'd been tossed around by biotics. Was that you?"_

_"Yes."_

_The Turian nodded. "I need you to tell me what happened, and then I'll make sure you aren't bothered further."_

_Kara sighed. She'd forgotten that Lixa worked for CSec, but the Turian had made a point of not pressing her for information, the mysterious human girl who refused to give her name, and who had slipped by customs without anyone noticing. "They surrounded me in the corridor. The one with his pants off said he'd seen me around, with Kleth, and he… he insult Narelle. He said I needed a lesson in manners. I hit him, and the others caught me. That's when I realized what they intended. I just couldn't let them touch me, so I—"_

_"That's enough, Kara," Lixa said firmly, looking down at her hands. "I accept that you acted in self-defense."_

_"Why are you protecting me?" Kara asked. She didn't understand._

_"Because you're the first human we've met that she likes," Narelle smiled teasingly at her lover. Lixa's mandibles twitched in annoyance, but she didn't deny it._

_Kara grinned. "Lixa, really? That's so sweet of you!" she squealed, hugging the Turian from behind. It was terribly silly of her, but maybe she needed to be a child for once._

_"Sweet?" Lixandris grumbled. "I'm a trained CSec investigator. I've seen things that would haunt your dreams. I am not 'sweet'."_

_"She's sweet," Narelle said, with one of her innocent smiles._

_Releasing the still-muttering Turian, Kara approached the Asari. "Narelle, what you did last night… what was it?"_

_"A meditative technique, leaned when I was about your age. I led you in it, in a way."_

_"Could you teach it to me?" Kara asked. "I mean, I am a biotic. I thought I was prepared to ignore it, but… I'd rather learn to use it safely."_

_Narelle shook her head. "Four hundred years is a long time, Kara, and I haven't really kept up. You'd be better off with someone else."_

_"I've always wanted to visit Thessia," Kara suggested. There was no better way to learn about a species than to visit its homeworld, after all, but the Asari were fiercely protective of the planet. As they had managed to build a spacefaring civilization without ruining it—a feat shared only with the sedate Elcor—she could hardly blame them._

_"It's the perfect place to learn Asari meditative techniques," Lixa pointed out, as Narelle hesitated. "Don't you think?"_

_The Asari nodded in agreement. "I'll make the arrangements, Kara."_

* * *

><p><strong>Thessia, Age 16.0<strong>

_Rough winds buffeted the passenger shuttle as it passed through Thessia's upper troposphere. The forward-facing cockpit windows had a beautiful view of Serrice from six kilometers up, the city's towers rising in graceful curves to their pinnacles, two or three kilometers high, while their bases were swathed in multicolored parks. It hardly resembled Earth at all, even discounting the different aesthetics; it was spacious, alive, and no industrial haze obscured the view. For her, it seemed a refuge from the vulnerable feeling that had hung over her since the attack._

_"_So what do you think, Kara_?" the pilot asked, as the city passed beneath them, and out of sight. The young Asari maiden had responded to Kara's enthusiasm in kind, quickly forming a bond of friendship between them, enough to keep her out of the passenger compartment during their descent._

_Kara leaned forward, taking the in rural landscape as eagerly as she had the city. "_Breathtaking_," she said. She had been practicing her _Thessié_, as well. She had talked Narelle into helping her learn not long after they met, and, as she understood it, the diverse language groups that characterized Thessia in the early years of Asari civilization had slowly amalgamated, forming a core group of common words, with peripheral regional dialects, each with their own set of unique and semi-unique vocabulary. She had learned only part of the core group so far, but it allowed her to communicate most things without a translator. "_I'm looking forward to seeing it close up_."_

_"_I wish I could show you around_," the Asari said. Her name was Ular, her skin blue-grey and her eyes almost sapphire, "_but I can't back out on my flight schedule on short notice. You'll stay with me tonight, though? There's a spare room at my block, not far from the spaceport_."_

_The shuttled turned about, lining up for final descent. Narelle had described something about Asari living arrangements, as well. Private dwellings were not unheard of, but most of them preferred to live communally, sharing a living space, but with private sleeping quarters. _

_"_I'd like that_," Kara said. It would provide her a chance to dive straight in, immersing herself in a new culture. She hoped it might also set her on course for what she had come for, and even if it didn't, she expected much of interest to come from it._

* * *

><p><strong>Age 16.1<strong>

_A wave of biotic energy swept over the tall Asari matriarch. Kara gasped, dropped to her knees by the wave of agony that burned through her mind; not the pain of a backlash from the disrupted field, but like a wounded shoulder, defiantly used to heft a weight. Another migraine lingered behind her eyes, waiting to take over._

_The_ suréathe_ watched her, curious. She had trained and wielded biotics for a thousand years, and could shift a single mote of dust as easily as she threw a Krogan battlemaster. Kara's limited and unfocused talents were unlikely to concern her. "_Why should I train you?_"_

_"Tsamakira callis dema[1]," Kara managed, the soft syllables of the Asari language passing easily through her lips. To a people who prized the wisdom of centuries, hers was almost a sacred declaration._

_It gave Suréathe Ilthaea pause, at least. She extended a blue hand to the pale, thin girl, prostrated at her feet. "_I can feel your agony, kenanda,_" she said. "_You would never survive._"_

_Kara gritted her teeth, and struggled to stand. Movement sent the pain arcing across the eezo nodes spread throughout her body, but she endured. The pain was a figment, an illusion pressed upon her mind by crude technology, and she was tired of running from it. It would have to be conquered._

_Hannah Shepard had volunteered her daughter, then but a small collection of cells, freshly conceived, for the Alliance's experiments. Exposure to Element Zero-eezo-during fetal development was the only known method of creating human biotics, and a process more likely to end in stillbirth than success; and even survival did not guarantee biotic potential in the future child. They were rare, despite the convenient exposure of entire colonies when eezo freighters exploded overhead-no accident, despite Alliance claims. Hannah Shepard had conceived of her daughter as a weapon, to further the interests of a government that sanctioned the poisoning of its own citizens. Humans were still knew to eezo engineering, however, and had started experimenting with biotics after encountering the Asari. It was no surprise that their technology, and training techniques, were quite crude._

_She only hoped that the Asari had some technique that could help her. "_I'm already dying._"_

_Ilthaea frowned. Kara stood straight, ignoring the pain, and focused on the ancient depths of her eyes. They were… astonishing. Rich brown, intense. Cold. "_What is your name, human?_"_

_"_Kara._"_

_"_Is it not customary for humans to have two?_"_

_Kara raised her chin defiantly. "_My presence here is no business of the Systems Alliance_." Or her mother._

_It was difficult to read any emotion through Ilthaea's calm expression. Did she know, or guess, that Kara had run away, and did not want to be found? Perhaps. Probably. "_Very well, Kara. We will see that you are trained_." The matriarch extended her hand, her warm fingers pressing into Kara's cheek._

_The pain retreated to the back of her mind. Kara could feel… an echo, or the faintest shadow, of Ilthaea's mind. It was a quite different experience from what Narelle had done. The deep brown eyes softened._

* * *

><p><strong>Age 18.1<strong>

_Kara admitted some pride in her skill. She had pushed herself hard, too hard according to Salaya, in her attempts to control her migraines. They had become less debilitating of late, perhaps because she had learned to accept the pain. Still, it wasn't just Asari she fought in the practice ring, but her own mind. She could accept defeat against a superior foe, but not against herself._

_Her present partner, a pale blue Asari with striking golden eyes, that blazed with passion like twin suns, certainly offered a challenge. Her name was Valla, and they had done more than spar, once; but they had been two curious youths, exploring the possibilities that appeared in their path. She was only ninety-seven, a few years into her maiden stage, and just finishing preparation for a commando's life. Kara wished humans had the same six or seven decades to make their choice of career, instead of a scant few years._

_Kara used a pause in their fight to wipe her face on her sleeve. Her hair had started getting in her eyes again, which she took as a sign that it needed cutting. She had dumped 'girly' long hair when she was eight, and never looked back._

_"_What's wrong, human? That stuff on your head causing your brain to overheat?_" Valla mocked, grinning cheerfully. She showed all the signs of equal exertion, her face flushed and her breathing heavy. "_Maybe I should go easy on you?_"_

_The Asari barely ducked the first swing of Kara's renewed assault. They were not using biotics today, a test of pure physical skill, but that did not give either one of them a distinctive advantage. She succeeded, if only just, in keeping Valla on the defensive. It worked for a while, but she misplaced her footing by half a step, and found herself on flat her back. The young Asari loomed over her. _

_"_Had enough?_"_

_Kara was about to make some attempt to escape from her disadvantageous position, when a younger Asari, a twenty-five year old _kenanda _named Naema, who accompanied her parents to the Hall, interrupted._

_"_Excuse me, Kara, but _suréathe_ Ilthaea would like to see you in her chambers," _the girl said. She was almost full grown, in height at least, but the Asari developed only a little slower than humans, mentally and physically. It could be six to eight decades before she finished maturing sexually, but that was a side feature; she was almost a young adult in every other aspect._

_Kara allowed Valla to help her up, and pulled her sweat-soaked shirt over her head, using it to wipe her face. "_We'll have a rematch later,_" she told her sparring partner._

_"_You know I always look forward to beating you,_" Valla grinned._

_Kara laughed. She had scored her share of victories, at least when biotics weren't involved. The young Asari outclassed her, when they were. "_And here I was, thinking overconfidence was a human trait._"_

_Valla caught her in a tight hug. "_My _kerta_ always taught me that its important to say these things, and I haven't yet, so; Kara, you're my favorite human, _ever," she whispered softly._

_Kara squeezed the Asari back. "_I'm the only human you know_."_

_"_And you're a good friend, a gracious opponent_," Valla smiled, backing off. She crinkled her nose. "_And you smell funny._"_

_"_I appreciate the sentiment, Valla_," Kara said, smirking slightly. "_And I return it. I'll see you at eventide?_"_

_"_I wouldn't miss it,_" Valla nodded. "_Now, you'd better go._"_

_Kara gave her Asari friend a last smile, before making her way out of the room. The last thing she heard was Naema begging Valla for a lesson, and the older Asari's cheerful agreement._

_The chambers of Muar Ilthaea was on the second floor of the building, alongside rooms for the other masters of the Way of the Huntress. The Way was the favored military doctrine of the famed Asari commandos, an ancient mode of warfare updated and adapted to firearms, and finally combat armor and kinetic barriers. Other schools taught starship tactics, and frontline warfare, or divergent commando skills, but Kara knew little about them._

_She made her way down the central corridor to the stairs. The ground floor contained the training facilities, kitchens, and a dining hall. The first, quarters for the students, her included, washrooms, and common rooms. The stairway followed the side of the curving building, narrow windows letting in the mid-afternoon daylight._

_At the second landing, the stairs opened out on a round room, with comfortable chairs set around a small table, a partial kitchen, and along the side wall private rooms, complete with bathrooms and offices. Ilthaea's room was on the south side, overlooking a forest of gorgeous dark reds and greens. Kara knocked on the door; it slid open for her._

_Matriarch Ilthaea sat behind her curved desk, dressed as usual in functional clothes, resembling ancient Asari battle garb. Across from her sat a second Asari, with dark blue skin, dressed in more modern clothes, a comfortable white coat. Both Asari turned to face her._

_"_Kara_," Ilthaea said, "_this is Ilya Tanral. She's been working on a special project for some time, and I felt it was time you met her_."_

_Kara smiled. _"Ilya. Pleased to meet you_," she said, bowing lightly before offering her hand. Ilya took it firmly._

"Sit, please_," the deep blue Asari said, gesturing to the spare chair as she released Kara's hand. "_Muar is a friend of mine, from my own commando days_."_

_"_She was never the best soldier_," Ilthaea continued, "_but she's since become a neuroscientist of some repute, and ever in search of a challenge._"_

_Ilya nodded. "_Muar came to me a year ago, with something interesting. She asked if it would be possible to modify a Serrice Council implant for the human brain._"_

_Kara could feel her eyes widen. "_You mean…?_" she asked, tapping her head lightly._

_"_Yes,_" Ilya smiled. "_I do. Some friends and I have devoted ourselves to studying human neuroscience. We believe we can modify the implant._"_

_"_And the surgery?_" Kara frowned. Human surgeons had made several attempts to replace L2 implants with newer L3s, operations which tended to result in catastrophic failure. She was not interested in ending up brain-dead, even if she had to live the rest of her life fighting the migraines._

_Ilya nodded. "_I've studied the results of your surgeon's attempts, but our techniques are well in advance of humanity's. We regularly replace implants, as the technology becomes outdated, or begins to fail. Your brain structure has several major differences, but we believe we can adapt._"_

_So, what did she do? At times like this, Asari society seemed so foreign; how many hours had gone into preparing something for just one young human, and not anyone of note. On Arcturus Station, millions of credits would have changed hands to achieve the same results. Credits that she would have been expected to pay. She doubted that Ilya expected anything from her._

_Ironically, she felt more respected by an alien society that, and not unfairly, viewed humanity as a child race, than she did among her own kind. She recalled, to her shame, cruelly teasing a girl who did not shave or wear makeup; she no longer did either, and no one cared. She had conversations about neuroscience with strangers while topless and stinking of sweat. Rather than forcing her to fight for every scrap of respect, they gave her space to earn it. She knew now what equality felt like, and would not easily tolerate less._

_Ilya reached over and brushed her hand across Kara's cheek. Her fingers came away moist with tears._

_Kara sniffed, and wiped more moisture from her face. She had last cried when leaving Yejide on Arcturus Station, more than two year earlier. It almost seemed like another life, she had changed so much. Ilya's expression was concerned, perhaps slightly uncertain, but not judgmental. She clasped the Asari's hand firmly, in both of hers. "_Thank you, Ilya. And you, Muar._" She breathed deeply, her tears slowing as she composed herself. _

_"_There are risks, Kara_," Ilya continued, her grey eyes warm. "_I'd like a chance to explain them. We will need scans of your brain, as well, and time to study them. None of can afford a mistake._"_

_"_Kara_," Ilthaea added, smiling fondly at her student. "_There is one other thing. If things go ill, we should have a name, so your body can be returned to your family._"_

_"_Kara Kyrandé_," she said softly. Kara Shepard was already dead, and best forgotten. "_I'd rather lie here."

* * *

><p><strong>Age 18.4<strong>

_"_I liked you better with hair,_" Salaya said, sliding her deep purple hand against Kara's bare scalp. Idly, her fingers traced the lines of fresh scars, just a few days old and sealed with surgical medigel. "_It brought out your eyes. Now you look like a pale Asari with a deformed head._"_

_Kara gave the grinning Asari _eskareta _a playful shove. "_If I weren't supposed to rest…_"_

_"_What?_" Salaya teased. "_Doctor Tanral gave you a new implant; she couldn't give you any skill._"_

_Kara scowled. "_I can have you on your back any time I want,_" she declared._

_The Asari took Kara's words precisely as they were intended. She stepped closer, and pulled the human against her with an arm about her waist. "_Was that a threat?_" she whispered, her voice deepened to a warm rumble. _

_"_A promise,_" Kara whispered, tasting Salaya's full lips. They were warm and soft, and responded gently._

_"_I wish you didn't have to leave._"_

_"_I got what I came for. More,_" she added, kissing the Asari again. She sighed, and leaned their foreheads together. "_I'm not ready for a daughter_."_

_Salaya smiled. "_She'd be beautiful. Like her muse[2]._" They shared another soft kiss. "_I forget, sometimes, how young you are._"_

_Kara laughed. "_And you don't seem a day over twenty-five._"_

_Salaya stepped back, her smile fading. "_So how are you feeling, Kara?_"_

_"_Good,_" Kara said, taking Salaya's arm and walking with her along the corridor._ _"_I haven't had a headache since the operation, but my biotic control is poor. Ilya said it might take a year or more for my brain to adapt fully to the new implant._"_

_The corridor let out onto a balcony, facing south, away from the city of Serrice. Below them ancient forest swayed slowly in the warm wind, carrying the fresh scent of wilderness and the whisper of leaves. "_Where will you go?_"_

_"_Sur'Kesh, I think. I'm not sure,_" Kara said. She hadn't give it much thought, but she had time. "_We have a month or two._" Time to rest, and relearn, and to make sure nothing had gone wrong in surgery._

_"_To say goodbye,_" Salaya sighed._

_Kara leaned back against the tall Asari, whose arms circled her waist and held her close. A perfect moment, calm and quiet under Thessia's warm sun._

_"_Kara,_" Salaya whispered. "_I would like… before you go, would you like to meld with me?_"_

_The question took her by surprise. Salaya had never offered even a casual mind-link, though they'd been together for nearly a year. To meld, though, and share not just thoughts but consciousness… it terrified her, and enticed her. There was still only one choice. "_Yes._"_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Salarian Passenger Cruiser Isk'Kratel, Age 18.7<strong>_

_"I guess you could say I'm on a pilgrimage of my own, Tama," Kara said, smiling in her best friendly manner at her fellow passenger, a Quarian in a warm-brown environmental suit, its cloth hood decorated with curving patterns._

_Tama'Ilen nar Ayana's shining eyes blinked behind her transparent mask. "I didn't know humans did that sort of thing."_

_"Most of us don't," Kara explained. "I'm here by choice. Seeing the sights, meeting new people. I just came from Thessia."_

_"Really?" Tama sighed. "I wanted to go there, but they're very restrictive about who they let visit."_

_Kara remained grateful to Narelle for making the arrangements for her. The _Isk'Kratel _had left the Asari homeworld four days ago, and had picked up Tama at a transfer station between Asari and Salarian space. "They've worked tirelessly to keep their world pristine. You can't blame them for being cautious."_

_The Quarian nodded. "No." Their own homeworld was little more than a myth to them, lost to their own creation more than ten generations ago. No doubt she understood better than Kara what such a thing meant._

_Of Earth, Kara recalled little of interest, though she had visited with her mother when she was fifteen, and earlier, with a class, when she was fourteen. Smog, hazy air, and the constant noise of ten billion people, half of them struggling just to find food enough to survive. She had not understood the why of it, then; but Thessia had helped with that. Greed, self-interest, and contempt, traits promoted by a system the Asari had discarded as absurd even before humankind had learned to write._

_"So, do you know what you'll do on—"_

_The soft bleep of a ship-wide announcement cut off her sentence. "This is the _Gashtog Iftril_," a voice declared; the name had no meaning to her, but the voice was too slow and measured to be Salarian. "We've taken command of the ship. Any passengers who don't want to die slowly, should return to their cabins."_

_"That was a Batarian," Tama hissed. "Keelah, what are we going to do?"_

_Kara grabbed the Quarian by the arm. "My cabin," she said. "This way."_

_Tama followed her without protesting. They kept to the side corridors, away from the terrified passengers. Kara had assumed it safer, until they walked straight into a Batarian. "Don't move," he commanded loudly, backing up his words with a dangerous-looking assault rifle. _

_"I've always wanted a pyjak-slave of my own," he leered. "Damn suit-rats aren't much good for anything, though."_

_He turned his weapon on Tama; Kara hit him with a biotic pulse that somehow made it through his barriers, tossing him five meters down the corridor and slamming him into a bulkhead. Though her biotic strength had not fully returned, she hadn't experienced a migraine since the surgery, and she no longer felt reluctant to use it at need._

_"Hey, thanks," Tama squeaked. Kara could feel the same terror pounding through her, but she forced herself to think clearly, disarming the fallen terrorist before he could recover, and dragging her new Quarian friend off again. This time, no one interrupted them before they arrived at her quarters._

_"I don't think we can stay here," Kara said, locking the door behind them. She dug through her scant possessions, pulling out a personal barrier—a gift from Salaya—and fastened its belt around her waist. If they ran into another Batarian, it would give her a few precious seconds to react, but not much more. Her companion's suit had similar protection built-in, if she remembered to activate it. "I haven't seen many other humans on board, and I'm sure he'll come looking for us."_

_"Yeah, but what are we going to _do_?" Tama repeated._

_Never engage an opponent on their terms, Ilthaea had taught her. Trapped in her quarters was definitely their terms, as was in an open corridor. "Find somewhere to hide," Kara decided, attempting to punch up the ship's schematics on the computer console. The entire system was in lockdown, and it spat her back out. She could probably crack it, but wasn't sure they had time for her clumsy efforts. "Dammit. Tama, can you hack this thing?"_

_"Uh, sure, Kara," the young Quarian nodded anxiously, taking her place. "What are you looking for?"_

_"A map of the ship. Crew areas, crawl-ways, everything."_

_"Shouldn't be too difficult," Tama muttered, the need for focus overriding her fear. Kara watched her work, curious to see if the Quarians' reputation for producing the best tech experts in the galaxy had any truth. In this case at least, it seemed to. She worked quickly, using her omnitool to bypass the password, somehow keeping her presence in the system from the Batarians, who were surely keeping an eye out for attempts to retake the ship. In what seemed like no time at all, she was uploading schematics to both their omnitools._

_Kara's first thought as to where to begin was a maintenance crawl-way. It'd get them out of the open, and provide access to multiple parts of the ship. It was also the logical place for a pair of fleeing passengers to hide, and so the first place the Batarians would look. "There's a maintenance hatch at the end of the corridor, see?"_

_"Its probably code-locked," Tama said._

_"Not a problem for you," Kara grinned, grabbing the Quarian's arm again. "Come on."_

_They found the hatch easily, and Tama quickly got it open. Kara followed her, but a noise in the corridor kept her from sealing the hatch; she left it open just wide enough to hear through._

_"You sure this is the right human?" said a smooth Batarian voice._

_"There aren't that many on board. Fucking moron," said a second, his voice rougher and deeper. Kara recognized him as the one who attacked them._

_"If I were taken out by a pyjak and a suit-rat, I'd be more careful about who I insulted. Shit, you fight like a girl."_

_Kara scowled, and suppressed the impulse to attack them right there. More males using her gender as an insult; it was almost like being back on Arcturus Station, and that was no pleasant association._

_"They're not here, damn," the second Batarian growled. "When I catch them, I'm gonna rip the rat's suit off, and let the pyjak watch her die."_

_"We can always use another slave," the first said, sounding as though he was grinning. "Maybe Galgav will let us keep the human, though I suppose he'll want to break her himself."_

_"That bastard always takes the fun jobs—"_

_Kara closed the hatch carefully, cutting off the conversation. There was no way in hell that she would let them enslave her. She'd make them kill her first. "Is there a way—"_

_Tama was shivering slightly, her eyes closed. "I don't want to die."_

_"Tama, listen to me," Kara whispered, putting her arms firmly around the young Quarian. "You are brilliant and brave, and I _will not _let them hurt you," she whispered. Inside her head, the words sounded colder. Harder._

* * *

><p><em>Kara planted her foot firmly on the chest of defeated Batarian leader, waving his captured assault rifle in his face. "So, Galgav," she inquired cheerfully, the thrill of victory superseding her former irritation, built up over four hours of crawling through ducts, "are you going to call off your terrorist friends, or do I have to shoot you?" It was the right tactic for dealing with someone of his rank, according to what she had learned from Kleth. <em>Establish dominance quickly, and do not let up until he submits.

_"Who the fuck are you?" Galgav demanded. _

_She slammed him against the ceiling with a biotic field. "I'm in charge here, so choose quickly."_

_The Batarian snarled. "You'd better watch your back—" The field holding him dissipated quickly, and he fell the two and a quarter meters to the deck._

_"Move and you die," she declared flatly. He started to push his way up. Either she enforced her ultimatum, or lost any hope of getting his cooperation. In truth, she didn't have the stomach to kill him, just as she hadn't killed his two companion when she took the flight deck. Knocking him out, that she could do. She kicked him in the head, and he went limp. _

_"So much for that," she sighed. "Tama, how are you doing?"_

_"I managed to drop us out of FTL, but I had to overload the reactor coolant system in order to do it. Wherever they were taking us, though, we're off the comm network. We can't request help."_

_Kara bent down, and pulled the omnitool off Galgav's arm. "See what he's got on this," she said, tossing it to the Quarian._

_"Sure, Kara," Tama grinned. Their success had also overridden her earlier terror, though not so much that she failed to keep a close watch over their prisoners._

_While she waited, Kara quickly stripped her third captive of his armor, then tied his arms and legs with electrical cord—the only thing they could find—before shoving him into the corner with the others._

_"Can they fix the system? And could you reverse course without them knowing?"_

_"It'll take them a day or so, and they'll need to force the crew to help. After that, sure, if we can keep control of the flight deck."_

_Actually, that was better than she expected. Batarian guards trying to watch Salarian engineers working on delicate systems were distracted, and easy targets._

_"Oh, damn," Tama hissed, furiously typing on both Galgav's omnitool and her own. "I triggered a cascade virus. It's wiping the memory. Professional work, government quality. Bah, it's gone," she sighed, leaning back in her chair. "Batarian bosh'tets. I'm sorry, Kara."_

_"Tama, you've been amazing," Kara said firmly, leaning against the edge of the operations console. "I'm not sure why you trusted me, but I know I wouldn't be here if you hadn't. Thank you."_

_Tama's gloved, three-fingered hand found Kara's. "I've had a really hard time since I left the Ayana," she admitted. "Most people don't much like Quarians, and I'm not very personable, I guess."_

_Kara smiled softly. "I think you're sweet," she said, "but I guess I can flirt with you later. Can we track the other Batarians from here? And are there any security personnel on the crew?"_

_Tama's eyes widened at the word 'flirt'. "What?"_

_Her smile broadening, Kara shook her head. "Neither of us will make it out of here if we can't retake the ship. We need to recruit some help from the crew or passengers, and round up the Batarians. How much can we do from here?" So, flirting with Quarians, now? She knew next to nothing about them, beyond the basics of the AI rebellion that drove them Rannoch, and that they lived in exile aboard their fleet. Then there was their alternate protein structure, and their weakened immune systems. She had no idea how they regarded interspecies romance, or even what their faces looked like._

_"There were a group of Turians who boarded the ship before me," Tama said. "Don't they have compulsory military service? The Batarians are sure to have the armory guarded, but we're better equipped now."_

_One of the downed Batarians was about her size, or close enough that she could try wearing her armor. Even if painful in places, it would be worth it for the added protection, and maybe even a chance to escape a tight spot without a fight._

_"Good thinking," Kara said, bringing up a passenger manifest on the secondary console. They were easy enough to locate, and not too far from the bridge. "Okay, we have a plan. Tama, can you hold the bridge until I can sent you some help?"_

_The Quarian glanced down at the prone Batarians and shuddered. "Just hurry," she said softly._

* * *

><p><strong>Sur'Kesh, Age 18.8<strong>

_Kara smiled softly at the reversal. Now she was the one trapped in a pressure suit while Tama stood in the open air. The suite provided by the Salarians was not large, but was reasonably comfortable, and tightly sealed. No breath of outside air or bacteria slid in through the cracks. On their home ships, Quarians also walked free, but their susceptibility to infection rarely allowed them the opportunity on their pilgrimages. "So, how are you getting on?"_

_"Good. I've had to work hard to catch up, but it's exciting stuff. The other students ignore me most of the time, but I guess I'm used to that."_

_By other students, Tama meant the primarily Asari and Turians, but also Volus and Elcor, participating in a cross-cultural educational exchange. The sealed suites were provided mainly for the benefit of the Volus, who could not otherwise survive outside the ammonia-based atmosphere of their homeworld, Irune. _

_"Did you tell them what you did on the _Isk'Anratel_?" Kara asked._

_Tama shook her head. "How could I? What you did for me is amazing, and I… well, that was your triumph, even though you told the Salarians it was mine. I can't lie about that."_

_Kara, not wanting her image plastered all over Alliance news, had kept out of sight of the cameras, talking Tama into taking the role of heroine. Convincing the Salarians that a scholarship for the Quarian was a suitable reward had been easy by comparison. Knowledge that would aid the Flotilla was a worthy pilgrimage gift, and an advanced education certainly qualified. "That victory was as much yours as mine. As I told you then."_

_Tama smiled oddly, an expression Kara took for grim determination, showing teeth evolved more for breaking up vegetation, than tearing meat. Had the same look graced her face when they faced down the Batarians together? They had not, before their exile, been an aggressive species, dedicating themselves to art and music under the protection of the Council._

_"Is something wrong?"_

_"No," Tama almost whispered. "I just wanted to—" cautiously, she reached up and undid the seals on Kara's helmet._

_From what Kara knew of Quarian culture, it was a gesture of close friendship or intimacy. They did not often breath the same air as anyone not from their home ship. She caught Tama's hands gently. "Are you sure you want to do this?"_

_"Yes," the Quarian said, smiling shyly. "I've, ah, become accustomed to, um, seeing your face. It's, um—" she was flushing, Kara realized, as she struggled to finished the sentence—"very pretty."_

_So… Tama was flirting with her? She was certainly attractive, looking up with her stunning, bright, orange eyes, set in her narrow face. She could almost be human, despite the rough texture of her hairless scalp. _

_"Who am I to question someone as sweet and brilliant as you?" Kara grinned, helping Tama remove her helmet. With it off, they stood, smiling foolishly at one another. Maybe neither of them knew quite what to do. Did Quarians like kissing? Was that even what Tama wanted?_

_"You're Kara," Tama said, as though it were some sort of self-evident point. Her three fingered hand brushed across Kara's cheek, its texture surprisingly rough._

_"What does that mean?" Kara asked, beginning to remove the rest of the pressure suit. She had pulled it on over the rest of her clothes, a silky green shirt she had brought from Thessia, and black pants._

_Tama shrugged, retreating to a boxy sofa. "It means I trust you, I guess. It's like, you know… you bring out those things I like about myself? And when you're gone… well, I spent a lot of time dreaming about what we'd do when you came back."_

_Kara tossed the pressure suit in the corner by the door, and sat beside the Quarian. "Dreaming, Tama? That sounds interesting."_

_"Well, sure," Tama breathed, taking Kara's hand, and caressing it softly. "Was it foolish, to think you might be interested in me?"_

_"No," Kara said, as she leaned against the thin alien female. She did not know a thing about Quarian sexual anatomy, but she would happily learn through experience. It was more fun that way._

_Tama laughed, a sound of mixed nervousness and relief. "Good," she whispered, nuzzling Kara's neck in place of a kiss. It was just as well. They both needed injections to protect themselves from their incompatible biologies, before they becoming more intimate._

* * *

><p><strong>Age 18.11<strong>

_Talat, like most Salarian cities, was not well lit, a design that suited the Salarian's excellent night vision, rather than the weaknesses of their tourists. Kara compensated with an infrared headset, which tinted the world in green, but at least let her get around after dark; it was also a gift from Tama. She had commented once on how much she disliked the environmentally-imposed curfew, and the young Quarian had pressed it into her hands a few days later, whispering the words; '_so you'll always find you way back to me_' with a delicate flush._

_Much like the medieval fortress it resembled, Talat was built in layers, defined largely by their access to fresh water. At the top, the palace of Dalatrass Linrael, head of what was currently the most powerful House in the Salarian Union. Back when her ancestors had founded the city, thought to be during the early bronze age, the site had featured a natural spring, which provided fresh water to the palace. By the time a rare tectonic shift shut down the supply, mechanical pumping was available to take its place. The nearby river, the widest on the continent, supplied fresh water to the lower city, and the heavily farmed fens that surrounded the river delta._

_Historically, as in the present, the wealthy had occupied the upper city, surrounding the palace, while the successful merchants and artisans lived in the lower city, near the river, leaving the middle levels and docks to be occupied by the working poor, primarily sailors and dockworkers at first. During the industrial era, when the mechanization of farming pushed people off the land and created the Salarian proletariat, low wage workers dominated the sector. This 'dry district'—an adequate translation of what the Salarians called it—had once been a buffer for the heavily defensible palace district and its noble families. Now, instead of a wall, a band of parks isolated it from the government centers of the upper district, and water was plentiful enough. Still, much like Earth's inner cities, it remained a slum, a home of the houseless and the dispossessed; the Salarian proletariate._

_In fact, Kara found herself much more comfortable around them, than she did the more important, upper levels of Salarian society. They were slower, less hasty; the pace of their lives did not demand the hyperactivity of the more important classes, which, of course, justified their place at the bottom. According to some, at least. This exercise in poli-sci bigotry was directly contradicted by two millennia of neuroscience, which showed that Salarians maintained a high degree of neural plasticity into their early thirties. They could adapt with relative ease, a contributor to their famed lateral thinking. As always, political concerns were more important than truth._

_"Kara."_

_She paused, turning toward the speaker. An unusually burly Salarian stood in front of a nondescript, run-down residence, vanishing through its rounded door almost as soon as she spotted him. He was unfamiliar, and she wondered how he knew her name; curious, she followed him. Cautiously. Dry districts were as dangerous as any slum on Earth, though thefts were usually perpetrated against targets of opportunity. This was planned._

_"Hello?" she said softly, stepping through the door. The interior was better lit than the street, and empty, so far as she could see, though she could hear someone… several someones… moving about. That did make sense, but forced her to question the wisdom of proceeding. With her biotics at full strength, she could handle three or four common thugs on open terrain; more in the close quarters of the house, where she didn't have to watch her back. However, they knew her name, and she had to assume they knew of her talent._

_Her retreat through the door was cut off by a second Salarian. "Inside, now," it said quietly, its voice, like all Salarians, androgynous to her human perception. It pressed what might have been a pistol into Kara's back._

_"You know me well enough to set this up," Kara said, turning around as soon as they were both inside, and the door closed behind them. The Salarian was female, by the shape of her body "You must know I'm not carrying anything of value."_

_The Salarian merely waved her pistol, a clear gesture for Kara to proceed down the main corridor, her expression almost… afraid?_

_Kara frowned; she wasn't entirely sure of her ability to read Salarians, and this was her first encounter with the rare female of the species. She didn't know if that made a difference, or not. "If I've done something to offend you, please tell me. That way, I won't do it again."_

_"Through the door on your left."_

_Kara complied, walking into a living room that was familiar in function, though quite distinct in style. A half dozen male Salarians all stared at her, as surprised and uncertain as she felt._

_"Sit, there," the female said, gesturing at an empty chair with its back to the door._

_There wasn't much else to do but sit, so she did, but she did think that she was beginning to understand the situation. "Hello," she said, smiling at her hosts. "My name is Kara."_

_"You've been snooping around, human," the female said impatiently. "You're working for the STG?"_

_"Was that a question, or an accusation?" Kara asked. Either way, she had evidently stumbled into a suspicious bunch, which seemed to confirm her assumptions. She _had _been snooping around, after all, and picked up on a few rumors about subversives. Considering her background, yes, she was curious; Thessia had felt like a paradise, compared to Earth and the Alliance, and a part of her had expected the same of Sur'Kesh and the Salarians. She could have accepted the comfortable illusion set up for the benefit of the tourists, or those that didn't want to see, but she still preferred the truth._

_"Both," said a second female, rising from her seat at the back of the room. "You behave like you're hiding something."_

_"I am," Kara replied bluntly, "but I'm not working for anyone."_

_One of the younger males shook his head. "She doesn't look very dangerous, Mirael."_

_"My sources say she helped a Quarian take out a dozen Batarian terrorists," injected a third male._

_"Enough!" the elder female snapped. Tama had spoken enthusiasm of a Salarian scientist by that name, and she did look to be the right age. Meeting her in run-down house in Talat's dry district, though—that was almost unbelievable._

_"Mirael… Mirael Tanare?" Kara asked, leaning forward slightly. The Salarian stared at her in shock. "A Quarian friend of mine was studying your career. She claims you're the brightest Salarian in ten generations."_

_"Intellect… not easily quantifiable," Mirael shrugged. "Someone learned to make fire… discovered agriculture. Split the atom. Am I smarter than them because I advanced a few fields? No. Better educated, which is a matter of time, and place. Ilare—" the aging scientist gestured at the younger female—"grew up knowing my theories. She's brilliant, understands them; better than I do. Could put them into practice, but… small family, poor. No resources."_

_"I'm also female," Ilare interrupted. Her words came slowly, next to Mirael's staccato speech. "We go into politics. As the saying goes, females run the world; they don't change it."_

_Kara nodded. "I'm not opposed to changing worlds, Ilare," she said, "and I'm not interested in taking sides. I'm just here to learn."_

_"See?" said the young male who had spoken before. "Harmless. I say we let her go."_

_Kara glared at him in silence. She was not, and would never be, as skilled as an Asari commando, but she was far from harmless. Somehow, though, she could not imagine that calling herself a threat would go down well in her present company._

_Another male, even older that Mirael, Kara guessed, nodded slowly. "Yes. No threats, no violence; that's supposed to be our way. Change through peaceful resistance."_

_Ilare and Mirael exchanged a look. "Fine," the younger female said. "Kara, you can go."_

_"I'd rather stay," Kara said, quietly. She was, after all, there to learn._

* * *

><p><strong>Age 20.0<strong>

_Like the Asari, the Salarians had been an industrial civilization for over two thousand five hundred years, but they were, overall, more human in temperament. Shortsighted and factionalized, they pursued advanced technology without regard for the potential consequences, accelerated by the constant shadow wars between feudalistic ruling families. Like Earth, Sur'Kesh became a polluted wasteland, saved from complete collapse by the discovery of mass effect technology, and the establishment of off-world colonies and industry; in the millennia since, much of their homeworld's natural beauty had been restored, the jungles once again verdant and filled with life. It would never be what it was, though, with so many species of plant and animal lost. In a thousand years, Kara wondered if Earth would feel the same, its restored beauty shadowed by an existential emptiness, perceivable only by those who knew their history._

_Before industrialization had caused mass extinctions of native species, Sur'Kesh's jungles had been dangerous, full of predators and prey. As she had seen more than once, they were still no place for the unwary, if one strayed outside the band of parks that surrounded the cities and their agricultural zones. Even so, she found that she preferred the wilds to the fast pace of Salarian life, the constant motion and noise, with so little time to stop and rest and enjoy. No time for lying on cliff under the stars, enjoying the relative cool of the evening. Across the valley, some fifteen kilometers distant, the tall, square towers of Talat rose up against the stars. At the center, the round, tiered spire of the Salarian Union's capital building, brightly lit and beautiful._

_Kara's eyes moved to the outskirts, where a small collection of buildings was only just visible. In one of them, trapped in a sterile room by her own biology, sat a Quarian. Studying, perhaps, or pining for her distant lover. They did not spend a large amount of time together, just a few days at a time, with the periods between getting longer as Kara ranged farther afield. Tama felt differently, perhaps, but she no longer believed herself in love, their relationship having settled into a routine of excited greetings and quiet farewells._

_Rolling over, Kara stared up at the sky. Sur'Kesh lay much closer to the galactic core than Thessia or Earth, and the densely packed band of stars lit the night for half their long year, making up, in part, for the absence of a moon. She had grown up in the darkness of space, and sometimes it called to her; she was tired of being hot and sweaty all of the time, of wandering in the wilderness when there were other worlds to explore. She had seen enough of the tense contradictions that pulled the Salarians in every direction. Their feudalistic social structure, where blood was as important as knowledge or skill, made her seethe. Psychologically imprinting hatchlings on their head-of-family? The situation invited abuse, and she had seen some of the results._

_She had learned what she wanted to learn, seen Salarian society for herself. The only thing holding her down was Tama. Even if they weren't in love, she still cared about the Quarian, and didn't want to hurt her. She felt some responsibility there, as well; she had drawn Tama into retaking the Isk'Kratel, and persuaded her to take the credit. _

_She held the blame for initiating their romance, as well. In hindsight, she realized that her actions had been motivated by curiosity and lust, rather than a strong emotional attachment. While not bad in itself—her brief sexual relationship with Valla on Thessia had started from mutual curiosity, but they had never been much closer than friends—Tama had wanted more. If she had taken the young Quarian's feelings into account, she would have tried to remain friends. Now, she feared, she would have to leave Tama in tears._

* * *

><p><em>"Tama, I've booked passage on a transport off Sur'Kesh. It leaves tomorrow."<em>

_"What?" Tama gasped. The shift in her expression, from excitement and happiness to horrified disbelief, almost made Kara reconsider right then. "Is this… what… why?"_

_Kara was not one to practice conversations, but she'd gone over this one repeatedly. She had wanted to be absolutely sure of her decision, and her ability to explain it, not willing to hurt her sensitive and timid Quarian lover. "I've given it some thought. I hoped that our being together, your seeing, _feeling _how I feel about you, would make you more confident. I don't… I mean—" she was already departing from her plan, it seemed—"that's not why we're together. I do love you, but… I'm not sure I'm good for you, and I don't mean our incompatible biologies."_

_"Good for… shouldn't that—that's my decision."_

_"It isn't that simple. Relationships are a mutual experience—either one of us can withdraw our consent, for any reason." _You're running away. Again. _The words flitted through her head in Yejide's sonorous voice. All of her carefully constructed arguments trembled at the blow to their foundation. What did it say about her, that she was always the one to walk away?_

_"But… why? Kara, I love you!"_

_"I know," Kara said. Despite her own dimmed feelings, hearing the words sent a thrill racing through her, that threatened her resolve. "I had hoped you'd become less isolated, though. I talked a little with the other students… Tyral said she reached out to you, and you ignored her. Tama, she think you're brilliant."_

_Tama slumped into the nearest chair. "She was… I didn't… didn't want you to think—"_

_So, yes, Tyral had used some flirtatious adjectives in her description of the Quarian, but that seemed to be her character; she had flirted with Kara, too._

_"I'm not that type of person," Kara said, "and even if I were, I'd still want you to have friends."_

_By then, there were tears running freely down Tama's face. She didn't understand, of course, and how could she, when Kara had never taken the time to explain. They both had good reason to feel wretched. _

_"I'm sorry. I never wanted to hurt you," Kara said softly, beside the Quarian. "If I can do anything to make this easier…"_

_Tama stiffened, at first, and drew away, but then she whimpered, and pressed her face into Kara's breast._

_If Tama wanted to have sex, one last time, Kara had already decided not to refuse her, but for now she simply let herself be held. It was no longer about what she needed._

* * *

><p><strong>Palaven, Age 20.5<strong>

_"Hey, who let the pyjak in here?"_

_Kara rolled her eyes. It wasn't the first time that someone had referred to her as one of the xenomammalian creatures since she'd arrived on Palaven. The Salarians had at least been polite, and hidden their prejudices long enough to get to know her. Overall, she found that a casually humorous response worked best, winning the sympathy of the onlookers, and sometimes the speaker. "We do get everywhere," she replied, turning to face the latest arrival. He was short for a Turian, his white and black face paint, along with his muscular build, giving him a menacing look. "But you have only yourselves to blame. Proper sanitation is essential for keeping vermin away."_

_"Ha, she's got you marked, Taelus" laughed Illataer, one of the more friendly occupants of the small pub, a clear-faced young female. That was unusual in itself—Kara understood the paint as a clan-marking, something that few Turians went without, but Aralatei had a reputation for being a gathering place of artists and free-thinkers, for which it had earned the derisive label of 'the crackpot capital of Palaven.' As she had learned on Sur'Kesh, though, nothing illuminated a culture quite as well as its contrary notions._

_Taelus snorted. "I should have guessed. You're the type who can't resist stray _lexta_. Are you bringing her home, too?"_

_Illataer folder her arms aggressively across her lithe chest. "I hadn't got around to asking. Why? You think I should invite you instead?"_

_"Spirits, no. I'm allergic to _lexta_, the foul little beasts. I'd rather live in a house full of pyjaks—I mean the real thing, human," Taelus added, glancing in her direction. Lexta were the most common household pet on Palaven, not unlike dogs in the variety of breeds developed over their domesticated history._

_Kara claimed her glass of water—the only human-safe beverage the establishment served—from the bar, and moved to sit in the empty chair at Illataer's side. Taelus had been eying it surreptitiously, perhaps planning to take it himself. "I prefer the company of sapient beings myself," she smiled, placing her hand on the Turian female's shoulder. "What they look like doesn't really matter."_

_"Oh, Taelus isn't so bad," Illataer said, "he just jumps when he's told to." And think what he was told to? That was a trait Turians and humans shared in abundance, received wisdom masquerading as free thought._

_The older Turian scowled. "Just because I don't listen to that Separatist filth you talk. The Hierarchy benefits us all, including you whining radicals. You don't even know what it is you want."_

_"Old argument, Kara," Illataer laughed. "What Taelus won't tell you is that our benevolent government has destroyed whole cities in its antiterrorism campaign."_

_Turian cities heavily reflected the militarism of their culture, both on and off their homeworld. Walled and fortified, and descending as deep underground as Asari spires rose into the air, even the most hardened modern army would hesitate to attempt their capture. That was no excuse for a massacre from orbit, though._

_"That's what you do in war. You destroy your enemies, and you don't show mercy to terrorists."_

_"Or their families? Children? Neighbors?"_

_There were rumors of government atrocities; but Separatist atrocities frequently made the news broadcasts. Just two days ago, they had reported that a bomb had destroyed a government building on one of the outer colonies, killing the governor, and quite a few minor functionaries. Collaborators, they were called, as though it justified their deaths. Kara didn't doubt that both were true. "So what _do _these Separatists want?"_

_"It depends upon the group," Illataer shrugged. "Some are just after power, and they're usually the worst. Not that the mighty Hierarchy cares—"_

_"Why should they?"_

_Illataer's mandibles flared, but she ignored Taelus' interjection. "Some, you know, like the Front for Colonial Independence—they destroyed the Governor's Palace on Averae two days ago—argue that the Hierarchy is exploiting the colonies to prop up a corrupt and stagnant empire. The want a loose affiliation of world, more like your Alliance, and to convert to a limited capitalist economic system. They say that if we don't change, we'll end up as a subsidiary of the Vol Protectorate within the next millennia."_

_Kara frowned. She had spent most of her time over the last four years learning about alien cultures, and finishing up the basic eduction she had skipped out on, rather than studying Alliance history and politics, but the Turian's assertion did not fit with her understanding of human society, either past or present._

_In theory, as she had learned from a young age, every human colony was automatically admitted into the Alliance upon its establishment, complete with one or more representatives in Parliament, depending upon their population. In this system, the Alliance governed humanity's trade, diplomatic and military interests, while individual worlds were free to establish their own social and economic systems, within the framework provided by the Declaration of Rights._

_In practice, most colonial attempts at protectionist or socialist economics were immediately appealed by one of several corporate front groups, and taken down by the Alliance court system. Their local elections were flooded with corporate money, and, despite biased numbers, including a cap of twenty Members of Parliament per world, the interests of the homeworld heavily dominated the discussion._

_"I don't think it works that way," she said softly. "We do a lot of pretending, I guess. I don't know." Perhaps that was a gap that needed filling. Humanity was her species, after all, so she needed to know a few things about it, but all she really knew were a few old propaganda points, and some alien prejudices. Perhaps it was time she went home._

_"Huh? You mean the Alliance? I thought that freedom and democracy was the human religion," Taelus mocked._

_"A collective delusion, maybe." According to some atheists, that was an adequate definition of religion, but she did not care for such oversimplifications. Though the atmosphere on Arcturus station had been firmly secular, some of her fellow students were devout, and she had seen what faith did for them, providing meaning and direction, informing their choices, and easing grief. Turians were also a somewhat religious people, many of them practicing a kind of vague animistic pantheism, which had already begun incorporating the major human faiths._

_"I'm not sure I understand what you mean," Illataer asked, turning in her chair, a crude method of edging Taelus out of the discussion._

_Kara frowned. She could think of only once example which the Turian would easily understand, and it wasn't the best topic to raise. "We learned about the Relay 314 incident in school. The unprovoked attack on our ships at the Relay. Our retaliation, and the subsequent occupation of Shanxi by a Hierarchy fleet. How we drove you back with our unconventional carrier tactics. What we don't learn is that, overwhelming, people on Earth wanted to attempt a diplomatic solution. The Alliance waged a propaganda war to change their minds, from exaggerated reports of atrocities on Shanxi, to a grotesque 'reconstruction' of a Turian corpse, recovered from your patrol fleet." All slanted eyes and sharp teeth, his elegant sweeping crests converted into demonic spikes, it had played into cultural stereotypes from around the world._

_Her history teacher had insisted that the distorted corpse had simply been a mistake made by humans being led by their fear of the unknown, but Kara hadn't accepted that explanation. The work had been done by professionals, not frightened children, and with plenty of bodies to choose from, there was no excuse for such poor work; a discrepancy which had led her to study the entire sequence of events in more detail. The discovery of Prothean ruins on Mars had filled humanity with an odd mixture of eagerness and dread towards the possibility of alien contact, but for the most part there was hope that it might bring a new age of peace. The unfortunate events at Relay 314 cast that hope into doubt, but had not destroyed it._

_"My father was in officer training during the war," Illataer said, shaking her head. "He told me about the government press statements; 'A new enemy from out of nowhere,' and how all Turians had to unite to face the threat you posed."_

_The irony was, dislodging the Turians from Shanxii had taken everything the Alliance had, and, despite outnumbering the enemy by two to one, they had come close to defeat. There would have been no great war, just a swift and crushing defeat, had the Asari not intervened._

_"So what does that tell you?" Taelus inquired. "The Hierarch ordered that we try and talk with the humans before any fleet engagement, and we never got any response. _They _didn't want peace. We were willing to negotiate."_

_Kara had to agree. There were officers and crew from Alliance ships that had come forward with evidence of Turian transmissions that were obvious attempts at communication. They remained forgotten by history, but she considered them proof that the Alliance hadn't wanted peace, until the battle for Shanxi gave them their first real look at what they were up against. That intervention by the Asari had come before the next Turian attempt at peace was incidental. "Maybe both our species are flawed," she suggested._

_"Then both our species should work to improve themselves. I mean, look at the numbers. Sixty percent of tax revenues from the Empire's economy goes into the military, right? That leaves forty percent for things like the passenger service, parks, utilities. Aralatei is falling apart around us so that some inbred Admiral can have his own chef."_

_"We provide security for all of Citadel Space—"_

_"And what do we get in return?" Illataer demanded, slamming her first against the table to accent her point._

_Taelus sighed. "It's about duty, and honor. Serving something grander than yourself. You've missed something important by not joining up, and the same goes for your wretched Separatists."_

_"I have a better answer," Kara smirked. "Peace. The Turians haven't been involved in a major war since they joined the Council, and that's certainly worth a few sacrifices." Although, from what she had seen, they had sacrificed more than their share. Despite the glaring social problems of the Salarian Union, the cities of Sur'Kesh were mostly well-maintained. And Thessia… nearly a paradise. There were costs to Empire, not the least of which was neglect of the homeland._

_"You're right, Kara," Illataer replied, turning a mocking smile on the older Turian. "We're not what we once were, though. I mean, Volus run most of our industry, these days, but the days of the Vol boost are long past." Any serious analysis of Turian society had to include the Vol Protectorate. While all of the Citadel races had benefited from Turian protection to some extent, the Vol had accepted client status to the Hierarchy almost fourteen hundred years ago. _

_"Not the Vol Conspiracy," Taelus laughed. "They trade resources for protection, Kara; they don't run the Turian government from behind the scenes."_

_"I thought you had a state-capitalist economy?" Officially, a central planning committee, with VI aid, allocated resources based on needs and long-term cost/benefit analyses._

_"We do—"_

_"We _did_," Taelus insisted quickly. "Most of the wealth is now in the hands of arms manufacturers and investors, and that _is _thanks to the Vol, but the solutions isn't to split ourselves up, and let them dominate us one by one. It's to take back that power for ourselves."_

_Kara smiled, and sipped at her water. "Careful, Taelus. That's rebel talk."_

* * *

><p><strong>Above Palaven, Age 20.7<strong>

_Kara waited in the shadows of the transfer station's embarkation lounge. Through the view port, she could see a blandly utilitarian Turian passenger ship, waiting for the tourists and travelers waiting in the lounge to begin boarding. She did not have a ticket, more to keep the next leg of her journey secret than for lack of funds, though that too was an issue._

_The saying was, everything on Palaven was made of steel, Turians included. Kara found it amusing how quickly humans were able to stereotype anything different. 'Asari make love. Turians make war. Salarians make master debaters,' went the joke. Crude, painfully unfunny, and just as prejudiced as the twentieth century habit of claiming that non-caucasians were inherently inferior. Even her first impression of the Turian homeworld was of a society rich with history, much as Sila Rvets's writing had described. No doubt their broader culture promoted concepts like discipline and service, but that was only the surface._

_Unfortunately, Palaven's unusually weak magnetic field allowed high levels of radiation through to the surface, to which the native species were well-adapted. Kara was not, and that kept her close to the major cities, where nearly everything was shielded for the benefit of tourists. Odd as it seemed, that was not a role she was completely comfortable in, and she had quickly fled Cipritine, parts of which were more suited to alien visitors than Turians themselves._

_For a while, she had hooked up with a gang of freshly graduated officers, taking some leave before shipping out on their first assignments, seeing the sights in a battered but well-shielded, troop shuttle, borrowed from their training base. Natural wonders were not really her thing, but she had enjoyed walking through forests of pale green trees, and talking about things like honor and duty. Discipline she knew, still practicing her biotics and the _vanan ithal_, the mental and physical exercise she learned from Muar Ilthaea. Honor was more foreign, and she had openly rejected the idea of duty to the state, and perhaps too quickly. Turians often spoke about finding meaning in service._

_Kara sighed. Across the room, where most of the passengers were gathered, another viewport looked out on the planet below, pale green and dusty brown continents broken up by grey-blue oceans and white clouds. One of the frequent tropical deluges was forming over Cipritine. Aralatei was a northern city, and not visible from where she stood, though the skies were clear and full of stars when she left. Was she really going home? To serve? As absurd as it sometimes seemed, she was not immune to the romanticism of the concept. To live in service to the greater whole; to save lives, to protect the weak. Everyone single one of those Turian kids had spoken of heroism; of how they hoped to win fame and fortune on the battlefield._

_One of them, an attractive, bright-eyed female, had recited an old Turian epic, while they all sat around a fire in the dark of night. It had been almost mesmerizing, the silence of their surroundings, and the intensity with which she spoke. Battle and loss, courage, death and damnation crossed by life and lust. Victory, won against overwhelming odds._

_So yes, duty. Kara didn't have a taste for the sciences, but she could think on her feet, and didn't let fear stop her. The military seemed like a good match for her skills._

_An announcer made the call for boarding. Kara hefted her pack, filled mostly with food for the two-day journey, and slipped into the throng of people._

* * *

><p><strong>Citadel, Age 20.8<strong>

_"You're a biotic, you said?" asked the man behind the desk. His face had an asian look, his hair black and cut short, brown eyes slightly bored._

_"That's right," Kara replied. "I have one of the old L2 class implants."_

_He frowned at his display. The projected holographic image was difficult to read from behind, but she could tell he was looking at her profile. "You still get the migraines?"_

_"Yes," she said. It was another lie. The L2 implant had been replaced, but she preferred that he not know it. She did not want a gaggle of scientists poking about inside her head, trying to figure out the advanced Asari technology wired into her brain._

_"Well, they aren't a disqualification. The marines are always in need of skilled biotics." He scrolled down through the records. "Hm. Would you care to explain where you spent the last four years, ninety-seven days?"_

_"Around," she shrugged dismissively. There was too much that she had seen and done that she didn't want the Alliance to know about, and she fearing that giving them a single thread would allow them to unravel the whole. She had slipped past Citadel customs again, just so they wouldn't be able to find out that she arrived on a transport from Palaven. Also, it gave her an excuse not to talk with her mother, who would bitterly disapprove of her wanderings._

_He leaned forward. "Miss Shepard," he began. It made her uncomfortable. She had mostly given her name as simply Kara; Kara Kyrandé, when she needed to sign something, which was not often. "You skipped out on three years of school, so you don't have a GED. We don't even recruit grunts with that poor an education, and you think you can be an officer?"_

_"They let you in, didn't they?" Kara retorted._

_He scowled at her. "That smart-ass attitude won't help you either."_

_She frowned. The entire exercise hardly seemed worth the effort. Service and sacrifice, they had felt important on Palaven. Part the very air. A duty. She was as determined as the ranks of Turian children she'd witnessed, running through their drills. Perhaps she had grown tired of wandering. "You recruits kids from Earthside gangs, and they don't have schools. The smaller colonies don't either. You have tests for that very reason."_

_"I could arrange a test, for a small fee."_

_He was lying. Kara had studied Alliance recruitment policy before she arrived, and there were no fees. "Are you asking me for a bribe?"_

_"A mutually beneficial arrangement, miss," he shrugged. "You want to sign up, and I want to let you. Surely you must have some sort of, ah, _asset _I'd be interested in."_

_Perhaps she rushed to an unwarranted conclusion, but she recognized the scene. A helpless young woman, alone in an office with an older man. He had, or so he believed, power over her. And because power invited abuse, he propositioned her._

Any _normal human who assumed they could physically overpower even a badly trained biotic was foolish in the extreme. She, however, was well trained, though hardly a master, and had him pinned against the wall with a biotic field even before she leapt over the desk. "What are you suggesting?" she demanded._

_"Nothing, ma'am. Nothing," he said quickly. Too quickly to be believed. He was nothing more than a bully, judging by the fear in his eyes. It took the edge off her anger, but she did not feel inclined to let him off easily. How many young women had simply given in? Clearly none had resisted enough to make him cautious._

_"You wait there," she told him, righting his chair and sitting down. It took relatively little concentration to maintain a mass effect field, with her amp VI, a dated but effective Armali Council model, available on the open market, taking up most of the burden. He wasn't going anywhere, until she let him down. Wisely, he didn't struggle, either a sign of some experience with biotics, or that he was simply too terrified to move._

_The recruitment office's computer system was not particularly sophisticated, and easy enough to find her way around. She found a copy of someone's test results, and altered the data fields to fit her own aptitudes. She tried to be honest, not modest, in her self-assessment, though she downplayed her hacking skills. She even added a recommendation that she be placed in the advanced program. She considered filling in the gap in her record with a depressing but plausible story about getting stuck on an outlying colony world, and struggling to survive, but she preferred to leave it a mystery._

_"So, what do you think?" she asked the officer, as she patched up the graphs and updated the metadata. It was good work, if hasty, but she only needed to fool a cursory examination._

_"I'll tell them," he managed. _

_She shook her head. Yes, the video feed would confirm his story, but she could shut that off, and delete the everything after his proposition. Anyone investigating the case would quickly leap to the logical conclusion, which she would confirm; that she had given in to his demands, and he had bought her silence with the modified test results. Grinning to herself, she silently thanked Tama, a group of Batarian terrorists, and an STG team for the extra technical training. Deleting the feed was easy, though she took care to make the data unrecoverable. Making it appear to be accidentally corrupted was less simple; but again, she didn't need perfection._

_"You aren't going to tell them anything," she informed him. "That'd just confirm my story, and you don't want that."_

_It occurred to her then that she had forgotten something. It was obviously not in her character to accept harassment meekly, and a skilled investigator would realize that. How would a rusty biotic, who tried to avoid using her talents, respond to an unwelcome groping? _Of course_, she grinned, releasing him from his imprisonment. Then she punched him in the face._

_"Now, what happened here?" she asked, pulling a tissue from the dispenser on his desk and slapping it on his bleeding nose._

_"N-nothing," he whimpered, avoiding her gaze. "I-I let you t-take the test, just as you asked. S-something went wrong with the vid feed."_

_"And next time you think about victimizing some innocent woman, remember me."_

* * *

><p>[1] <strong>Tsa + makira:<strong>

**Tsa**: first-person pronoun: I

**Makira**: to want, to desire. There is a strong undercurrent of necessity; and to demand.

**Callis:** to learn, though as a process, rather than an action.

**Dema:** used to make a polite request between equals.

**Translation**: Please. I want to learn.

[2] According to Bioware, 'Father'. However, the term was obviously chosen by a bunch of (patriarchal) anthropocentric dicks. The same people who would have an Asari use the term 'having balls' to refer to courage.

Anyone still wondering why I called the Asari 'not particularly feminist'?

* * *

><p>I tried to avoid both the 'planet of the hat people' and 'blue human' tropes. Not sure if I succeeded.<p>

On the same topic as that last footnote… Turian females in the upcoming Omega DLC? Three games too late, Bioware. Honestly, we've had three games of being told that Turians regard females as equal to males. Old, sort of cliché writer's adage; show, don't tell. Even if I were feeling more charitable towards them, this would still be a clear illustration of their priorities. Tie that in to the 'no female dwarves in DAII' issue.

Sorry, I'm ranting again. Thanks for reading. No offers of cookies this week. I couldn't figure out how to attach them to a PM.

Oh, and leave a review.


	26. Introspection

_The Fool and His Money_ came out last week. You've probably no idea what I'm talking about. We can't post URLs, so look it up, but don't Google it; use ixquick. I spent many an hour on _Fool's Errand_ and _3 in Three_, and have been waiting for this day for ten years. They're available for free on the Fool's Errand website.

Anyway, now that I've justified my continued sporadic posting schedule, back to the usual story. So I think I've justified Kara's character as it stands in this story; shame I didn't get more comments on the last two chapters. Eh. Short of demanding reviews for updates, there's little I can do. And like Kara, I can be obstinate, so the only course available to me is to repeatedly say how much I appreciate those people who do leave reviews. Show that you appreciate the time and effort I've put into this, and join them.

PS. While I'm endorsing people; Arthur Silber, _Power of Narrative_. Just in case you weren't convinced that I'm some sort of left-wing crackpot commie anarchist wingnut.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX<br>_Introspection_

Kara gazed thoughtfully at the artifact. Liara had claimed it belonged to a Prothean client race, a statuette of a goddess. Of beauty, stars and travel, which made it an almost perfect metaphor for the young Asari. The figure was only about twenty centimeters in height, its six-fingered hands held out before it, as though in offering, and its face uplifted. Its features were semi-human, lacking a nose, its eyes too round and too far apart, and its body proportions accurate to her human perception, though the curve of its limbs showed a Salarian-like flexibility. It appeared to be wearing a flowing robe or dress.

Behind her, with a soft contented noise, Liara stirred, drawing herself against Kara's body. "_Il'Ylbet's beauty drew the gods to her, for all wished to have her for a mate, but she would have none of them," the Asari whispered. "She begged Il'Markt, Whose Song Filled the Void, to send her one who could respect the wisdom she had gained in her travels._

"_'Seek the one who dwells in the shadows,' Il'Markt said, and Il'Ylbet did; and there she met Il'Kalne, Who Sings Alone, and her thoughts were filled with love. But Il'Kalne was afraid, for she loved Il'Ylbet, and feared to be alone again. She feared her ignorance would displease Il'Ylbet, who knew the secrets of the stars, and that what seemed lovely in the darkness would melt to ugliness in the light._"

Smiling, Kara set the statuette aside, and turned to face the Asari. "_You are beautiful_," she said, barely a whisper, "_and I love you_."

Liara's brow crinkled in confusion. "_How is that you always know?_"

"_I can accept a goddess that resembles you_," Kara teased, "_but one that resembles me? No._"

"_I'm sorry it took a burst of Prothean courage to get me here_," Liara whispered.

Kara shook her head, resting her hand on Liara's hip. "_That was all you. Don't doubt it_."

The young Asari smiled. "_I didn't think you'd pull me in like that._"

"_Neither did I_," Kara breathed. "_It just felt right. Like it feels right to say; I love you_."

"_I love you_," Liara repeated. It took some awkward maneuvering in the narrow space, but she rolled onto her back, taking Kara with her.

With the feel of the Asari's warm body beneath her, all soft skin and beautifully firm, Kara could not resist a hungry kiss. She could almost feel another bout of intimacy approaching, as Liara's hand slid up her side, pressing gently against her breast. Another strong hand entangled itself in her hair.

"_It means I'm ready to commit, to us. To you. To have—" _she cut herself off, laughing softly. _"Well, now is not the time for that discussion."_

_"No_," Liara agreed, tracing her finger along Kara's cheekbone. "_Let's enjoy just enjoy this moment_."

Kara smiled, and bent her head to the Liara's blue neck, planting kisses that worked their way down to the Asari's chest. She paused, resting her head over her lover's heart, listening to its rapid beating. It was certainly an enjoyable moment.

* * *

><p>It was late morning before Kara managed to drag herself from Liara's arms, and midday before she showered and ate, and finally made an appearance on the command deck. "What's our status, Keyx?" she asked of the duty officer, as she approached him.<p>

"Ten hours remaining to the Maroon Sea Relay, ma'am," he replied, with more than his usual formality. "All systems are reading green."

"Good," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "And what about you?"

He glared at her, and pulled away from the touch. "As long as I do my job, that's not your affair."

"This isn't an Alliance ship," Kara said. At least she was in a better mood to discuss her decisions, now, if that was where the discussion was headed. "I'm not interested in people who just follow orders. I'm prepared to explain my decisions, if that's what's wrong."

He glared furiously at her. "There's nothing to explain," he snapped. "Janine is in hospital. Raiders hit the colony three days ago, and she was critically injured, trying to get Sarah to safety. My daughter is dead, and I only found out last night, because you had all communications blocked."

"I'm sorry—"

"Go to hell." He shook his head sharply, and turned back to his station. Two-year-old Sarah had not deserved that fate.

"I'm sorry, Keyx," Kara repeated. Certainly now was not the time to attempt to explain her actions. "Take some time off. I'll see to things here."

He straightened abruptly. "Are you dismissing me?"

Kara sighed. He didn't understand her at all if he thought she cared about a few harsh words. "I'm offering."

"Yeah. Okay," he said, nodding faintly. It wasn't as though the post offered much of a distraction. On a frigate in the middle of a relay jump, there wasn't a great deal for a duty officer to do.

Kara checked over the displays as the young lieutenant made for the stairs. All systems were reading green, as he had said. Countdown to the exit relay was just under ten hours. She switched the secondary display over to her favorite alternative news feed, and settled in. It seemed like she had some catching up to do.

* * *

><p>"Catching up on the news while on watch?" Brynja smiled, looking over Kara's shoulder. "Are you sure that's appropriate?"<p>

Kara rolled her eyes. "You'd think I couldn't hear you chatting with Jeff."

"He may be a good pilot, but I don't think I'll ever actually _like_ him," the blond shrugged, leaning against the console.

"I heard that, _Ensign_," the lieutenant remarked, pausing as he limped past. "Hey, Cap'n, I hear you and Liara _slept_ in. You didn't happen to make a vid, 'cause—"

"Goddess, Moreau, could you be less of a drooling male cliché?" Brynja snapped. "We know already, so go crawl in some hole and jack off. Just… leave us out of it."

Kara tried not to smile. She had broken the noses of a few fellow officers for similar comments, but that was an inappropriate way to treat a subordinate, especially one with a degenerative bone disorder. The self-described best pilot in the Alliance glanced at her, as though expecting a defense. "You earned that," she shrugged.

He may have been muttering something about 'feminazis' as he limped off, but Kara ignored him, focusing instead on the young blond. "I thought the two of you were getting on fairly well?"

"He's a twenty-seven year old frat boy," Brynja said distastefully. "His kind spends half their time dreaming about bedding lesbians, usually in pairs. He was right about you and Liara, though?"

Kara gestured that Brynja should follow her, and led the way into the comm room. Not that she worried much about Garrus gossiping, if he was even interested enough to listen in, but she preferred privacy. "We're back together, yes, and we had sex."

The blond embraced Kara firmly. "I thought you looked… softer. Not happy, I'm sad to say."

"I've been studying the Alliance's reprisals again raiders, looking for a reason why attacks haven't declined. It's almost as if they're leaving sectors vulnerable on purpose, and ignoring key pirate installations."

"What?"

"It gets worse," Kara sighed. "All the major feeds are focusing entirely on the Batarians, even though whenever a colonial garrison kills or captures a raider, they're always human. Wearing Batarian armor."

Brynja sank into the nearest chair, a stunned expression on her face. "That sounds… that sounds like black ops. Cerberus?"

"There's no proof, just suspicions, but the hardliners have been pushing hard in Parliament and the military," Kara said, sitting next to the blond. "These are the same people who think ending the First Contact war was a mistake."

Brynja shook her head. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Maybe I've done too much already. Can I risk further strengthening the very people I want to stop? We should learn something about Kahoku's return in the next few days, and even that… if he fails, we'll be in a worse position than we are now."

"He won't fail," Brynja stated firmly.

Kara smiled fondly at the young blond, but they both knew better than that. The battlefield was well-stacked against any challenge to the Alliance leadership. "I like to think I have some foresight, but I can't see all ends. If I had kept my commission, I'd still be in command of the _Normandy_, and I'd still be outside the chain of command, but I wouldn't have wedged myself between the Alliance and the Council. We might all be better off."

"Kara… no," snorted Brynja. "The Alliance was pushing the Batarians towards war even before you stirred things up, so you aren't even an excuse. They're just trying harder, and you know, that should make Kahoku's job easier."

"Oh?" Kara smiled, leaning forward.

"Sure. They're worried, you see, and taking risks they wouldn't otherwise. How many officers are there in the fleet that despise Cerberus? And if the Defense Committee really is behind the raids, well, there aren't many people who will back that, even if disagree with you on a few points."

That was a fair point, and Kara nodded in agreement. She had rarely encountered an officer whom she suspected of pro-Cerberus sentiments. "Even so, I think I should try not to get involved."

Brynja smirked at her. "I know you better than that, _Spectre_."

Kara resisted the urge to do something unexpected, like sweep the attractive young blond up in her arms, and kiss her firmly. At least she did not have to worry about exhaustion wearing down her self-control. "You may be right."

"Whatever you do, Kara, I'll back you. Unless you try and put me in armor again."

"Yes, sir," Kara laughed.

"You know, it occurs to me, this whole discussion was just to distract me from asking about you and Liara. How was it?"

Kara glared at the blond.

* * *

><p>"I'm sure you already know why I'm here," Kara said, pulling a spare chair up beside the desk of her makeshift ship's councillor. He leaned back, frowning at her thoughtfully. Or dramatically; she had noticed that he had a taste for it.<p>

"Hm. It's a classic case of megalomania. The patient attempts to assume responsibility for events which are entirely beyond her control."

Kara leveled an irritated stare at the man.

"Right, straight to the point, then," Ehigha frowned. "You began this mission by asking for a tremendous sacrifice, Captain. I'm sure the Council will take care of you, but what about the rest of us? Mutineer is quite a black mark, more than enough to keep the Alliance from accepting us back, and make any corporate manager think twice. It won't matter that much how this ends, and it sometimes feels like you don't care. I know you do, but maybe it needs saying once in a while.

"As for Keyx, he's been hit harder than most of us. The Alliance doesn't exactly make it easy for us to have families, and his is gone, now. You think Janine won't blame him for their daughter's death? She hears about everything we do, and we're always wrong, because that's what's reported. I'm just glad that my sister knows better than to credit the shit they peddle."

"I haven't given it much attention," Kara said. "Maybe that was a mistake."

The doctor nodded. "I was surprised by that. As an anarchist, you should know that real change comes from the people, but you're trying to take a top-down approach. I thought for sure you'd talk to Miss Wong again, get her to publish your side of things. Or surely there are a few other names in radical journalism that have caught your eye over the years."

Kara sighed. It wasn't that she failed to see merit in his suggestion, because she did. She simply disliked self-promotion, but hers had already become a household name. Maybe it was more important than she thought to make sure they heard the truth. "I'll talk to her. About Keyx…"

"I know you… _dislike_ therapists, sir, but not everyone can sort out their problems on their own. He should talk to someone, and I don't think you can help."

Probably not, if he blamed her, and she could see why he might. Even so, she had to try. "Any advice for me?"

Ehigha brushed at his coarse hair, and nodded, meeting her gaze firmly. "If he needs to blame you, let him. Hopefully, it will pass, and if it doesn't, well, you won't be able to get through to him now. He shouldn't be left in command of the ship until he's somewhat recovered."

With Keyx taken off duty, Kara had no one else to fill first watch. She would have to take it up herself, which meant a great deal more time on the command deck. "Fine," she replied softly. "I'll send him to you."

* * *

><p>Kara found her navigations officer in the training room, sweating heavily as he pumped away on one of the work-out machines. She could tell from his sluggish movements that he was pressing against exhaustion, but she doubted that it effectively cleared his head of the troubles he was hiding from. It never had for her.<p>

"What is it you want, Shepard?" he grunted, barely glancing up at her approach, and not slowing.

"I hoped you'd be ready to talk," she said, seating herself on the next machine. She had never even come close to having a child of her own, before, and she did not pretend to know when it felt like to love one, or to fear its loss, but she knew he needed to let himself feel, and express his feelings.

The levers slammed loudly into the machine's frame as he pushed himself angrily. "Not to you. You don't give a shit anyway. Sarah's just another dead human."

"Is that really what you think of me?" she whispered, but he was oblivious to the anger in her voice. Ehigha had said to let him blame her, she reminded herself.

"Yes. You just do what you think is right, and damn the consequences. What's the lives of ten thousand human colonists compared to the honor of Kara Shepard!"

Kara breathed deeply, and slowly, not daring to respond. He had only just lost his daughter, she reminded herself. From that perspective, her actions could certainly seem vain, or self-important, making it easy to blame her for everything that had happened in the last month and a half. She didn't care about glory, however, and she didn't expect historians to praise her name for generations to come. She simply wanted to leave the galaxy with as much chance for peace as she could manage.

"What, nothing to say, _Captain_? No clever rebuttal?"

"I'm sorry for your loss," she said, still softly. There didn't seem to be much else to say. She could, perhaps, try again in a few days, when he finished brooding, but even that was uncertain. Maybe he was simply beyond her reach. "I want you to speak with Ehigha. You'll remain off duty until he says otherwise."

"Sir," the Greek man snapped, stalking off. She hoped Ehigha could do something for him, before he became a more serious problem.

* * *

><p>"Yes?" the young Asian woman asked, her brown eyes blinking drowsily.<p>

"Hello again, Emily. I'm apologize for my timing," Kara said, smiling softly. It was morning by Citadel time, but it was after twenty-one hundred on the _Normandy_. She had expected to end her day upon returning to her cabin, but she had not found Liara there. "I simply had a proposition for you—"

"What, again?" the young journalist asked, brushing at her unkempt black hair. "The Alliance almost locked me up, after the last time, and they would have done, but CSec said they hadn't a valid warrant."

Kara nodded, and leaned back in her chair. "I saw your report." Emily hadn't violated any of the Alliance's laws regarding press freedom by not reporting Kara's plans, at least, not in Executor Palin's assessment. That would not have saved her from a harsh judgement, though.

"You certainly threw me in at the deep end," Emily frowned, "and I'm guessing you knew it."

"I did. I'm sorry."

Emily shrugged. "I don't resent you for making me face the truth. If it weren't for you, I'd still be a polite version of Khalisah al-Jilani."

"Maybe," Kara laughed, "but all I did was give you a push in the right direction. If you're interested, I have more for you."

The young woman leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. "Yeah? I'm listening."

"I've not been paying attention to the mainstream coverage of my mission, but my crew tells me it's bad—"

"You could say that," Emily grinned.

Kara smiled, and sipped at her tea. "So, I'm taking some advice, and trying to get my side heard. I'll give you my perspective on our missions, and what supporting documentation I can."

"As long as you don't expect me to write a propaganda piece," Emily said, interrupted by a yawn. "I'll want to interview your crew, and I will call you out on any lies. So don't tell any."

Her cabin door slid open, and Kara smiled as Liara entered, carrying another one of her artifacts.

"In independent journalism, lies are more often by omission," Kara stated, returning her attention to the display. "You will present my narrative unedited, but what commentary you chose to add after is your business."

Emily nodded. "Fine. When do we start?"

"I'll contact you in ten hours," Kara said. That would give her time to sleep, and for Emily to prepare her equipment. The _Normandy_ would be leaving the second relay, on course for Tuntao, when first watch started.

"I'll be waiting," Emily grinned.

Kara closed the channel and sighed. Liara sat firmly on her lap, kissing her firmly before she could even react. She wrapped her arms about her lover, and let out a soft moan.

"So," Kara began teasingly, when they parted, "did you spend the entire day locked up with those artifacts of yours?"

"I spent most of my time thinking of you," Liara grinned, "but I did managed to banish you for a while, and make some progress."

"Tell me about it?"

Liara frowned. "I've been pieces together the images the Thorian showed me. I'm still… well, it's impossible to explain. There isn't a single Prothean inside my head, or a city of them. More like… I intuitively know who and what the Protheans were. Imperialists, cultural and territorial. They suppressed other intelligent species so completely that their cultures were lost, to the point that we have no solid evidence proving that they weren't alone."

The Asari sighed, shaking her head. "I… we let ourselves believe they were like us, without any evidence. Now that I know the truth, I might be able to piece together enough evidence to convince my colleagues."

"_I love you_," Kara whispered, in _Thessié_. The language had several words that were given the same english translation, and she chose the one with the most depth, of history and meaning. Liara laughed, and kissed her softly.

"Since you're being so supportive," the Asari said, rising to her feet and pulling Kara after her, "I had an idea. In theory, the knowledge given me by the Thorian could act like a translation matrix for your beacon visions, allowing me to understand it as if I were Prothean myself. It may be enough to make up for the remaining gaps."

If it put her one step ahead of Saren, she could hardly refuse. Her current position was precarious, always in danger of being too far behind if the rogue Spectre acted. If she could anticipate his next move, however, and prepare.

"Good idea, Liara," Kara said. "Let's do it."

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading, leave a review.<p> 


	27. Confluence

Hello again, dear readers. I think I actually went a few days, there, without thinking about Mass Effect. Oh, Heavenly Bliss!

S058: I'm going to take your continued presence as a compliment. How shall I put this... the Alliance is not a shining city on a hill? See chapter twenty-four, section four (Torfan Hearing), scene three (Kara's statement). The gears of Empire are greased with the blood of the fallen. It doesn't really matter whose.

NonSolus: I don't know. The 'just a soldier' thing is typically meant to show that the Shepard in question didn't want the job. Possibly the only reason Kara made it so far without more media attention is that, after Elysium, the Alliance was so terrified of what she might say that they kept the press away from her. This while they were hoping to get her made a Spectre. Just a theory, though.

Update 28/11: Added a conclusion to Wrex' mission, which was originally to appear in the next chapter.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN<br>_Confluence_

As soon as she came off shift in CIC, Kara retreated to the communications room. If the _Isandlwana_ had travelled at maximum speed the entire journey, Kahoku and his crew could enter Alliance space at any time, and she had set the computer to alert her the moment he or his ship came up on any of the major news feeds. She half expected to hear that they ran afoul of a patrol group, and were destroyed before any explanations could be given. No formal charges had been made against him, however, so it was more likely that he'd be escorted to one of the Fleet Admirals, like Hackett.

Steven Hackett, according to most reports, was a conservative minded man, sharply observant and an adequate strategist, but no friend of Cerberus. He was also in command of the entire fleet, subject to orders from the Defense Committee alone. Unsurprisingly, he was not pleased with her, but if he was rational, that would not bias him against Kahoku's information, and that gave her hope.

The second thing on her mind was Ilos. Liara had declared it the source of the visions stored in the beacons, a message sent fifty thousand years ago, perhaps by the last survivors of the Prothean civilization, reaching out to see if they were alone. They may also have intended it as a warning for those who came after, but it contained no reference to a 'Conduit', or why the Reapers needed it to return.

Kara would have set a course to the planet immediately, leaving Wrex's quest to recover his family armor for another time, if Liara had not also informed her that the world was beyond their reach. The sole relay linking to Ilos' cluster, Relay 112, had been behind enemy lines during the Rachni war when the star it orbited went supernova. Without knowing its trajectory, finding even so large an object in an expanding remnant nebula was a near impossibility. There was also a chance that it might have been destroyed.

In either case, the _Normandy_ could not make the journey from the nearest accessible relay to Ilos unaided. To make the attempt would require a support ship, with food, fuel, and extra static sinks. She had no doubt that she could persuade the Council to supply one, but she still feared that the information would reach Saren. That possibility did have one benefit, though. If the Reapers really did build the relays, they must have built in a means of locating them, as a precaution against supernovae, and the possibility of their being moved by an organic race. They could lie in wait nearby, and follow Sovereign as it located Relay 112.

Kara intended, however, to reach Ilos first, so that she could find and shut down the Conduit before Saren could use it. She could then trap the rogue Spectre, finish her mission, and get on with her life. The Asari and Salarians both had some limited information on the world, from expeditions sent before the Rachni war began.

A damaged garden world, the researchers reported finding no animal life. The abandoned cities had been hit by the Reapers, the patterns of damage similar to Feros, with evidence of a sustained ground war, rather than extensive orbital bombardment. The peak population was estimated at half a billion. At the time, some of the artifacts recovered by the archeological teams had led to scientific discovery, but the intervening years had led to similar devices being found in other ruins. Ilos' ruins were largely unexplored, but its real significance to modern archeology came from its mythical status; no one had set foot upon the world in more than two thousand years, beyond even an Asari lifespan.

* * *

><p>"… <em>reports from unnamed sources aboard Admiral Kahoku's frigate, the <em>Isandlwana_, that former Alliance officer and Council Spectre Kara Shepard was present on Binthu during the Admiral's raid on the alleged Cerberus facility. Given Spectre Shepard's known anti-human sentiments, any evidence produced from the unauthorized expedition should be regarded as highly suspect. _

_"While the Ministry of Justice has so far declined to comment on the affair, In-Depth with al-Jilani remains committed to asking the tough questions. Tomorrow, we begin our investigation into the life and career of Commander Shepard in a two-part special. Today, we'll speak with two former Cerberus operatives about the organization, and the mysterious figure who runs it, known only as the Illusive Man_."

"Is there a reason you're watching this hack?" Ashley asked, still standing by the door. "Uh, ma'am?"

"Don't do that, Ash," Kara sighed, shutting down the vid stream. The main holodisplay shut down, taking Khalisah's round face with it. "I'm not your CO."

"Of course you are, ma'am," the marine shrugged, brushing black hair over her shoulder, as she slumped into the nearest chair.

Kara sometimes felt like the marine insisted on saluting just to tease her. She generally considered that a good thing, an indication that they had developed a friendly relationship. "The waste reprocessors could use a good scrubbing," she stated flatly.

Ashley grinned. "Of course, ma'am." They were an in-joke of sorts, a fact to which the marine had obviously caught on. The _Normandy_, like all Alliance frigates, stored food and human waste until it could be pumped into a processing facility. "So… why are you watching Miss al-Jilani?"

"Perspective," Kara said. "If I'm to properly respond, I need to know what is being said."

"Any conclusions?"

"Not yet. Things are moving, but it'll take time. Weeks, to even make a start. It's good news that Kahoku is alive, and with Hackett. The two of them might be able to swing the fleet, a task more easily done without my interference." Kara paused, smiling softly at the marine. "I'd like you to talk to Emily Wong, and tell her about Binthu. Maybe they'll find you more credible than they would me."

Ashley's brows rose in disbelief. "I doubt that."

"Remember, joining me wasn't your first choice. This is as much an opportunity for people to meet the rest of the crew, and see what kind of people you are, as it is to tell them about our missions."

"Okay," Ashley nodded, her expression still doubtful. She would go ahead, at least. "Anything further?"

"Mention Tali's role, and be honest. That's the most important thing."

"Honesty isn't something I've had a problem with," Ashley said, smiling introspectively. "And as I'm being honest, Kara, I'm really glad you let me back on board. I found that I really did resent the Turians for what happened to my grandfather, but now that I've met a few of them, that doesn't fit as well as it used to. I mean, Auran said that she learned about him in school, and that he was considered a worthy opponent, because he sacrificed himself to save his troops. It was almost the same thing you told me. What the Alliance did to him, and to me and my father, I figured that I understood it, bad as it was. Maybe I was wrong about that, too."

"Look more closely at the context. Ending the war was popular on Earth, but not in Parliament, because the ruling class profits from war, as it always has. Your grandfather made the peace. Not by saving Shanxi, but by proving that we had something in common with the Turians. The fools who think we could have won may point to him, and claim our defeats were his fault, but that's just blindness. His treatment, and yours, is just a way of discouraging anyone from making the same choice."

The marine shook her head, frowning. "I never paid much attention to politics, ma'am. The whole damned system is just so polished that I couldn't take it seriously. I just tried to do my duty, and keep the people under my protection safe. I never saw much action, but…" she sighed heavily, as she recalled the ghosts of Eden Prime. "What you're saying is crazy, though. I mean, they kept you on."

That was a fair point. If Aral Williams' actions had gotten his family blacklisted for three generations, hers should certainly have gotten her court-martialed. She could not explain the discrepancy. "Maybe Khalisah will be able to explain that."

Ashley snorted. "She'll just blame 'aliens'."

Kara grinned. "Just this once, she might be right. The Alliance _was_ looking for a Spectre candidate."

"Yeah, right. Couldn't they find someone who follows order?"

"Exactly. They must have had a reason to think the Council would accept me." Kara brushed her fingers through her hair. For whatever reason, the question had never bothered her enough for her to investigate, but Khalisah's upcoming report on her could change that. "I'll see if I can find—"

"_Captain, Emily Wong is ready to speak with you._"

Kara tapped the comm button on her omnitool. "Put her through, Brynja."

After a few moments, the young journalist's pleasant face appeared on the main display. "_Kara. And… Ashley Williams?_"

"That's right, Emily. Ashley was on the ground with me on Binthu. She'll tell you about the mission."

* * *

><p>"Why did you agree to help Wrex?"<p>

Auran sighed, pacing the narrow length of Kara's cabin. "That's personal," she said, her resonant voice cool as she paused in her march, focusing her copper eyes on Kara's.

"Maybe you expect more from me," Kara said, lowering her face, "but this isn't about the galaxy. It's just you and Wrex." It seemed like an arbitrary line, even to her. After all, she had confiscated a load of artifacts for Liara, with the weakest of excuses. The Council was unlikely to care, so long as she produced results, and they were just as unlikely to question the demise of a Turian pirate and his gang, if it came to that.

Basing her decision around Wrex felt more sound. He certainly had the strength and skill to take out a base full of disorganized pirates. It would be safe, familiar ground. He could also take her expectations as a challenge, and rise to meet them. Her presence would take the choice away from him.

"Shepard…" Auran began, hesitating as she leaned against the far wall. "You want an answer? My father is a pirate, and he was Separatist terrorist, and I haven't spoken with him since I realized just how brutal their tactics were. His death wouldn't meant much to me, but I won't be the one to cause it. When Wrex asked for my help, I thought he was crazy. Then he saved my life on Virmire, and I wondered if I'd dismissed him too quickly. I guess you don't get to be a six hundred year old Krogan mercenary without having some brains to go along with all that brute force. Most of them don't make it past two hundred, if the statistics are right. Such a waste of life."

"Isn't that just Krogan nature?" Kara inquired. Actually, she knew enough about Krogan society before the Rebellions to dismiss the idea. Did Auran?

"Is that like human nature is to… ah… 'dick wave'?" An accurate enough metaphor for the Alliance's relations with the Council, and too many of its unofficial representatives. "Sentient beings are a product of culture and their own experiences. Besides, we've all heard the theories about how so many Krogan left Tuchanka because they had no future there. Wrex claims he left because people weren't ready to listen to him, but that was five hundred years ago.

"I don't hold a grudge for what happened during the Rebellions. Seven generations of Krogan have passed since the Genophage brought the war to a close. Their population is barely ten percent of what it once was. I just don't know if I can trust him."

"Whatever his faults, Auran, Wrex cares about his people. Their survival depends on making peace with their enemies. It may help to remind him of that."

Auran nodded, her expression still uncertain. "I came here to demand that you either agree to join us, or turn the ship around," she sighed. "I guess that's out. I really hope you know what you're doing."

* * *

><p>"<em>Rumors that a Geth ship appeared over Ilium three days ago, where it joined a patrol fleet of the Republic Defense Force, were finally confirmed earlier today when the same ship jumped into the Serpent Nebula, and was escorted to a diplomatic dock on the Citadel. Council Aide Vael Tel'padhe issued the following statement; 'Recently, one our agents made peaceful contact with the Geth, which resulted in an agreement between the Council and the Geth that they would send an embassy to the Citadel. They maintain that all attacks by the Geth on ships and colonies outside the Perseus veil were conducted by a rogue faction, which has somehow been convinced to serve Saren. These claims are currently under investigation.'<em>

_"Spokesperson Erin Smith gave a press conference on the matter, declaring, 'the willingness of the Citadel Council to make peace with humanity's enemies is a direct violation of their responsibility to us as an associate member of the Council. The Prime Minister has formally demanded that any negotiations with the Geth be broken off until full reparations are made for the attack on Eden Prime, and the so-called 'rogue units' are brought to justice.' Mister Smith also acknowledged that Ambassador Udina had been invited to attend the negotiations._

_"Charles Saracino, head of the Terra Firma party, declared the Council's move to be 'the latest example of the failure of the current administrations' policy of integration,' adding that, 'humanity must stand on its own merits, and not allow our unique cultures to be contaminated by aliens.' Formerly ridiculed as a fringe organization, the isolationist party has seen rising poll numbers over the last two months."_

Kara sighed. The young reporter, working for ANN, repeated the common mistake of accepting that the government pursued an integrationist policy, when its goal was to increase the number of human colonies across the galaxy, while expanding the reach of Alliance-based corporations into pre-existing markets. It was an imperialist policy that would inevitably lead to war, to break down resistance and destroy competition.

She did not think it hyperbolic to say that capitalism required war. Conflict itself was profitable, using expensive weapon systems that were in frequent need of repair or replacement. Add the reconstruction contracts, and the annexation of enemy resources, and it was little wonder that humanity's history was more steeped in blood than any species other than the Krogan. They were too easily divided by religion, or minor differences of culture or ethnicity, friendly neighbors twisted into brutal killers and rapists by blatant propaganda, all to benefit a profiteering minority. _This_ was Earth history, not the lies taught in Alliance schools, and it would be humanity's future if drastic changes were not made.

To her mind, the only conceivable means of altering that future was revolution. Not a change in leadership, but the complete dismantling of the current government and economic system. A cooperative model, with a general goal of meeting needs, rather than creating surplus value, would reduce the need for economic expansion. Unfortunately, the weakness of the radical left created an opening for the far-right, not just Jack Harper and his type, but the fascists, and religious ideologues.

What the left needed was a clear, compelling voice for social change. Someone who could convince the squabbling sectarian factions of the communists, socialists and anarchists to set aside their differences and work together to radicalize the population. There were genuine historical reasons for mistrust between the broader groups, and ideological gaps that would need bridging. An effort to spread understanding of alien species would be almost as important, and a necessary part of creating a lasting peace.

She knew that building a genuine movement could take years, but a proper scandal, one that revealed the inner workings of the system, could help push things on. She hoped that someone would take advantage of the opportunity to explain property and class relations. Education and consciousness-building was always the first step, the foundation of successful revolution. Eighty percent of Earth's ten billion inhabitants lived in poverty, only slightly better than the poverty rate amongst the estimated fifty million colonists spread out across Alliance space. They were essentially outsiders in the current system, and potential allies of any revolutionary movement.

"_In other news, Parliament voted this morning on a resolution to suspend the authority of the Defense Committee, pending the results of the investigation into its activities, which passed by ninety-eight to ninety-three, with five abstentions. Full command of the combined fleets has passed to Fleet Admiral Steven Hackett. 'We have full confidence in Admiral Hackett's strategic skill, and commitment to the protection of the Alliance,' said a statement issued from the office of MP from Terra Nova Safira Karanovitch, who proposed the resolution._

_"Admiral Hackett declined to comment on his plans, stating only that the safety of those people under his protection is his top priority._"

That was more hopeful. Free of the restrictions placed on him by the Committee, Hackett could launch simultaneous raids against a number of pirate bases, shutting down their operations and, maybe, recovering evidence of Cerberus' involvement. Solid proof would not only finish off the Defense Committee, but would embarrass the militarists in Parliament as well, tempering Alliance foreign policy.

It would also resonate much more strongly with the colonists than her charges, almost certainly resulting in protests, and possibly riots, on all of the border colonies. Their dissension might even spread to the fleet, where colonials made up almost a quarter of enlisted personnel. That would be a serious problem for the Alliance.

Kara assumed she could rely on the Asari to keep the Council races uninvolved. She would have to find a way of making sure the Batarians did the same, though she no longer believed they were interested in war with humanity. They were a secretive race, having been ostracized by the Council, and little was known about their military strength, except that their isolation combined with their repressive society had stifled technological advancement. They may have considered themselves overmatched by the Alliance's fleets.

They also had reason to believe that the Council would side with humanity, if the Hegemony let itself appear as the aggressor, regardless of Alliance provocation. They had attacked Salarian colonies in the past, though not for centuries, and their continued acceptance of slavery offended the Asari, who rightly regarded the practice as barbaric.

She was in a position to solidify that belief, as an agent of the Council. All she needed was an opportunity.

* * *

><p>The <em>Normandy<em> arrived over Tuntau in early third watch, entering orbit above Tonn Actus' small, concealed base. The planet's atmosphere was unbreathable, but not hazardous, making it an ideal, if out of the way, stop for passing ships. Kara sat on the bridge, at one of the auxiliary operations stations, sipping tea to ward against the late hour, as the _Ke'val_ descended with the squad. She knew better than to expect things to go smoothly, but she hoped for quietly, at least. Whatever it took for her to not feel the need to get involved.

She did feel it, though. Auran had recruited Kaliran for a third teammate, and Ilan'ne to pilot the _Ke'val_. All four were at the least Kara's comrades and crew, their wellbeing her responsibility. It could hardly be claimed that she was doing everything in her power to protect them, though. Here she was, meddling in Krogan politics as well as her own.

"Ma'am," Nasrim said, turning to face her. "Incoming transmission for you. Source and ID are scrambled. Should I acknowledge it?"

"Yes. I'll take in the comm room," Kara said. The timing was slightly suspicious, but there were plenty of reasons why someone might not communicate with her openly. She made her way aft, acknowledging Kirrahe's nod as she passed his post. Anyone who risked censure for talking with her, or wanted to pass on sensitive information, for example.

The comm room door sealed behind her, as she activated the channel at the main controls. "Who is this?"

"Captain Shepard." The voice was blandly mechanical, beyond the normal translated effects. "I represent the Shadow Broker."

"I'm not interested in buying information from you," Kara stated flatly.

It laughed coldly. "A shame. We have fascinating information on the Prime Minister's sex life that could bring down his coalition. Yours for a discount price." It paused, but she declined to respond. "What if we could lead you to Saren?"

And what compromise would she have to make for that information? Her funding from the Council would not stretch to the Broker's usual fees, and she had no intention of owing favors. "Just say what you came to."

"We had an agreement with Admiral Kahoku. In exchange for our aid, he would give us any information recovered from Cerberus. It now appears that you kept significant information from him. We believe we are owed it."

"I don't agree. I made no deal, and I'm not interest in money."

A deep breath, held and released. "There will be consequences for this, Shepard."

Kara sighed. Hadn't she enough enemies already? "I hope that wasn't a—" She cut herself off. The broker agent had already closed the channel from the other end.

* * *

><p>"Dammit, Shepard, you knew, didn't you. You always know," Wrex grunted, kicking the bulky crate that contained his family's armor, lost to the Turians almost fifteen hundred years before.<p>

"Knew what?" Kara asked. Aside from a brief encounter with Auran, who had seemed in high spirits, she knew nothing of what had happened on the ground, except that the Normandy had needed to land in order to load the crate.

"Forget it. I can deal with my own problems. I'll have to crack a few skulls to salvage my reputation, but fools'll be lining up for it, after this. Bloody Turian."

Kara smiled faintly. Certainly she knew there would be opposition, and a fair chance that Tonn had recruited a few Krogan minions, but she saw no reason for Wrex to care for the opinion of a few pirates. The mercenary life was at least regarded as an honorable profession on Tuchanka; piracy was not. "You don't change an entire culture without fighting through a great deal of resistance," she said. "It sounds as if you've made a start already."

"A start? I've been made to look like a mewling Volus in front of that idiot brood-brother of mine. All of Clan Urdnot will hear of this. If I try to claim rule of the clan now, they'd tear me apart."

"What's a brood-brother?" Kara asked. Some sort of partial relation, like a half-brother, from the status applied to it.

The scarred Krogan gave her a skeptical look. "Before the Genophage, Krogan females used to claim a single mate. Their bodies are even capable of storing sperm for multiple reproductive cycles. After we were infected, our females argued that a variety of males improved their chances of a viable pregnancy, so they began to mate with multiple males. True or not, the belief stuck. Me and Wreav, we're from the same brood, but we have different fathers. He's no weakling, just an arrogant fool. I didn't even know he'd left Tuchanka."

"It could be worse. It could've been an old rival of your clan."

"Yeah, Shepard. Funny," Wrex sighed. "At least I could shoot a rival. Ancestor's only know how I'll deal with Wreav."  
>Kara shrugged. "I'm sure you'll think of something, and I am available if you want advice."<p>

"I'll find my own way," the Krogan growled.

Kara nodded. She didn't really have the right to interfere.

* * *

><p>If you're reading this, you've made it to the end of another chapter of <em>Antiheroine<em>. Writing fluff is so much easier. We appreciate all comments, and reviews. Feel free to spread the word, as well. Vkerinav HQ lacks a public relations department.


	28. Coercion

**Note** **that I updated the previous chapter to close off the Tuntau arc(short as it was). I had originally expected it to take up part of this chapter, but I had not then decided how the mission would go, or if Kara would find reason to involve herself more.**

General Joseph; The Broker's agent never actually claimed to have information that might lead Shepard to Saren('what if we could'), and Kara preemptively rejected money. What else is there? Blackmail-which admittedly has potential-and force.

NonSolus; According to Bioware's description, the Asari knew where Ilos was, and planned several expeditions to reach it through FTL. The point you brought up was handwaved as the flight being too dangerous due to the state of affairs in the Terminus Systems. They were clearly interested, but didn't expect to find anything of enough value to make it worth the risk, which I find more believable if they've already had a chance to poke around. It also helps explain how Liara could recognize it in the visions.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT<br>_Coercion_

It took another six days for the _Normandy_ to arrive at the Citadel. For her crew, they passed in uneventful routine, though the same could not be said of the rest of the galaxy. The talks with the Geth had proceeded without any great revelations, while Udina continued to insist that the Alliance was being sidelined. The Quarian's civilian leadership had added their own protests, implying that their was a conspiracy against them.

Admiral Hackett had shifted fleet deployment along the Attican Traverse, successfully disguising an overall decrease in the number of ships by increasing visibility of those that remained. It could have indicated that a number of counter-piracy, or counter-Cerberus, operations were in progress, though Kara could only guess.

Back at Arcturus station, the three members of the Defense Committee were now in custody, awaiting trial. She did not know what new evidence had been uncovered, but there were rumors that the Prime Minister had asked for their resignation. If they agreed, an attempt to quash the entire affair would almost certainly follow.

"So, Cap'n, have you got vacation plans, or something?" Jeffrey asked, as Citadel Traffic Control guided the ship into a priority dock. "Maybe a romantic evening with Liara?"

Even half a day without contemplation of anything more serious than getting her Asari lover to smile was more than tempting, and not entirely impossible. "I'm afraid not," she sighed. She would try and find time, but she honestly did not expect to them to stay in port for more than a few days. Everything of immediate importance had been taken care of already, and Kirrahe had taken responsibility for resupply. She certainly had personnel matters to sort out, primarily Orlanis and her squad, and a few diplomatic hurdles. "What about you?"

"They say good things about the latest Blasto vid, and I figure, hey. I've flow across the galaxy with a Spectre, so I must be an expert. Now I can sit in the back and shout 'Shepard wouldn't do it like that!' Good for a few laughs, at least. It's a pity that none of us have any friends left."

"Heckling the Blasto fanbase isn't the best way to make new ones."

Jeffrey shrugged. "You never know. Maybe I'll meet some cute chick who's really a fan of yours."

"Good luck with that," she muttered. Here she was, first human Spectre, Heroine of Elysium, reduced to a bad pickup line. And did she even have fans? She found the idea rather unappealing.

"What about you, Brynja?" she asked, turning to face the blond.

"Spend some time with friends," Brynja smiled. "Unlike Jeff, I still have a few. We're going to a club with Orlanis and the rest. I'll miss her and Lix. I wish I'd found time to get to know the rest of them, but…"

"There's never enough time. I know," Kara said, settling her hand on the young woman's shoulder. "I'll find time to join you there."

The blond laughed, swinging her chair about. "As it happens, _ma'am_, I wasn't thinking of you," she said, grinning briefly. "Besides, you need to find time for Liara."

"Yes, and I will," Kara smiled, "but she's not the only person of importance to me. So I will see you later."

Brynja nodded slowly. Kara touched her hand briefly, before moving aft, towards the stairs. Keyx was still on leave, though doing better—she needed to find time for him, as well, she reminded herself—so she was on duty, but with the ship docked there was little need for her. Ops and engineering were the only posts that needed to remain crewed.

Taking the stairs down to the crew deck, she went first to sickbay.

As usual, Karen smiled as she entered. "Kara. I've already checked the arrangements. Sayuri is scheduled for surgery in an hour, at the Citadel Institute for Interspecies Medicine. Doctor Kessan is Salarian, and has an excellent reputation."

"What about the leg?"

"I still have friends in the medical corps. The replacement is Serta Foundation's combat grade prosthetic, still sold only to the military. You won't find a better in Alliance space."

"Thank you," Kara said, nodding gratefully. On her own, she would have had to ask Sayuri to settle for a civilian model, which, while not limited in mobility, were not designed to function with armor. "Where is she?"

"The cargo bay, I think," Karen replied. "Are you coming with?"

Kara sighed. "If she doesn't object."

Shaking her head, Chakwas smiled. "She wouldn't, even if she blamed you. Meet us in the cargo bay in, say, half an hour?"

Kara nodded, and walked to the door. "I'll be there."

Her next concern was the ship's passengers, both willing and less so. Lizbeth was talking quietly with her mother at the end of the table closest to the sickbay, which she made them the easiest place to begin.

"Captain," Lizbeth said, brushing her brown hair out of her eyes as she looked up.

"Lizbeth. Julia," Kara nodded, smiling softly. "We've arrived at the Citadel."

The older woman breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I'm grateful to you for bringing us, but this ship isn't terribly comfortable to us civilians."

She found the complaint irritating, but did not let it show. The elder Baynham had not even known of the Thorian, or its mind control properties, but Lizbeth had, and had certainly not show Sayuri's courage. "It's no better for the rest of us."

"You saved my daughter's life, Captain," Julia said, looking down at her hands, folded on the tabletop. Whatever her daughter had to told her to explain their evacuation had clearly concerned her. "Maybe her soul—" Lizbeth flushed at this assertion, aiming a glare at her mother that the older woman ignored. "We owe you for that."

"I may have a use for her skills," Kara said, meeting Lizbeth's eyes. The brunette shifted, and looked away. "The enemy I'm pursuing also has the ability to control minds. Liara has speculated that it may use a method similar to the Thorian, and we need someone to investigate."

Lizbeth shook her head. "I'm not comfortable working for you, ma'am. I may need a miracle to scrape my career back together, but I'll find one on my own."

"This is a good opportunity for you to do just that, Lizbeth, while working for the Council, not me."

"I don't want your charity, or to get dragged into your absurd crusade. I just want to be able to go home."

Kara sighed. "It doesn't work like that, Lizbeth. I promised you safety, not freedom."

"You have no right to speak to my daughter in that manner, Captain," Julia protested, rising to her feet.

"Sit down," Kara commanded, focusing her attention on the older woman's brown eyes. Julia sank back into her chair, and Kara turned her attention back to the daughter. "You made a mistake. I know it happens, but running away isn't a solution."

Lizbeth's eyes flitted to her mother. "What happens if I refuse?" she asked, softly, her gaze fixed firmly on Kara's collar.

"I'm not going to threaten you," Kara told her. "You're free to go, if that's what you want."

The brunette stood, her eyes still downcast. "There's too much about you that scares me. I don't want to get more involved than I already am."

Kara stepped back, allowing the brunette to collect her mother and depart. As soon as they were out of sight, she slouched into Lizbeth's vacated chair. The loss of the neuroscientist was not a major setback, not while she had ExoGeni's Feros database, but she had failed to anticipate it. She also knew where she might find a replacement, possibly more suited to the task.

"Can I go, as well?"

Kara stifled a groan as Rana Thanoptis dropped gracelessly into the seat opposite her. The pale blue Asari was wearing an insincere smile, and unmarked Alliance fatigues. "No."

Rana had survived the meandering twenty-seven day trip from Virmire primarily by keeping out of the way of the Salarians, no mean feat on the cramped frigate. Kara found her to be unpleasant company, constantly finding excuses for her actions, both with Saren and before. "Why not?"

"Because Saren is right. It's imperative that we understand, and can reverse, or at least prevent, Indoctrination. As you're the closest thing we have to an expert, you're being conscripted." She still needed to convince the Council, of course, but the more difficult part would be finding Indoctrinated individuals for study.

"Just as long as I get paid," Rana smirked. That was very nearly the worst thing the Asari could have said, joke or no. Such a mercenary attitude was not unheard of among Asari, and often resulted in voluntary exile—the rewards they sought were simply not available inside the Republic.

More importantly, Kara detested it. It was selfish and arrogant, and Rana used it as thought it excused her earlier behavior. "Orlanis is going to escort you to CSec, where you'll be placed in holding until arrangements can be made."

"You're having me locked up?"

"Rana," Kara said, smiling coldly. "If the _Normandy_ had a brig, you'd be in it."

* * *

><p>"The procedure went flawlessly," the Salarian doctor said, standing over Sayuri's bed in a small hospital recovery room, "due in part to excellent prep-work by Doctor Chakwas."<p>

Karen returned the Salarian's nod. "I take my patients' health seriously."

"It shows. Miss Aoki, you're free to go as soon as the local anesthetic wears off. Stop by reception on your way out—they'll make arrangements for the remaining components. Any questions?"

Sayuri shook her head, though it did look as though she was brooding on something.

"Good," the Salarian continued. "A nurse will come through to check on you in about an hour. Excuse me."

As he left, Karen caught Kara's gaze. "I'll be out in the hall," she said, gesturing toward the door.

Kara nodded, standing as the greying older woman departed. "So what do you think?"

The young Japanese marine's hand went to the bed controls, adjusting it to a more comfortable sitting position, before pulling the covers aside, exposing her mechanical limb. The flexible outer membrane simulated skin, in color and texture, and integrated temperature and pressure sensors, connected to Sayuri's nervous system. "Is there enough room in that storage compartment for a flask?"

"You've gotten to the important matters, then," Kara said, smiling softly, as she seated herself on the edge of the bed.

Sayuri smiled, running her hand from her knee upward, ending at the nearly invisible joint between woman and machine. "I can feel it, sort of. It's strange, too—I'd just started to get used to it not being there. Well, it saves me from wondering if you're gonna leave me behind."

"I'm not. Even if I weren't short on crew, I wouldn't." Kara paused, breathing deeply. She placed her hand on the marine's artificial knee before continuing. "We talked about Torfan, but it was your testimony at the hearing that really impressed me."

Sayuri flushed, and looked away. "Yes, I, uh… I was young and stupid?" she suggested.

"That doesn't explain why you did the same thing again, when you followed me into mutiny."

"Older, not wiser?"

"Yes, that must be it," Kara agreed, pulling the marine's blankets back into place as she stood, and returned to her chair. She had said what she wanted to, and Sayuri's embarrassed joking implied that it was understood.

"Kara…" the younger woman said, her gaze returned to her leg. "You don't need to stay. I'm through the hard bit, for now at least, and long silences are awkward. Anyways, a CO isn't supposed to have time to sit around and babysit her crew."

Kara nodded, aware that the marine was right. Karen, or anyone really, had more of a chance of providing an entertaining wait. "I'll go," she said, smiling as she stood, "but don't hesitate to ask if you need anything."

Sayuri grinned quickly. "Liquor."

* * *

><p>"Ah, Kara, you made it," Orlanis shouted, over the din of the tense, throbbing music that blasted through the Turian-style nightclub, as Kara sat beside her. Her squad was joined at the long table by a pair of Turians and a Salarian female, plus Garrus and Tali, and four of the <em>Normandy<em>'s human crew.

"I wanted to thank you properly," Kara said, just as loudly. "You and your team. I thought buying a round might be a good start."

The Turian nodded. "Your Alliance should take some good advice, and put a few more distractions on their frigates."

"I'll let them know, Orlanis," Kara laughed, "but I doubt they'll find room for a nightclub."

"Just a small bar, then…"

Kara sighed, rolling her eyes for the Turian's benefit. Alcohol was a near-constant of sapient lifeforms, and almost as diverse in variety as life itself.

"Fine. If you don't want to benefit from our experience—"

"This is attempted sabotage," Kara teased. She did not mention the archeological studies that had humanity brewing crude beers at least five hundred years before Turians had taken up the art.

"I'd never," Orlanis protested. "Let me introduce you to our guests. Kara, this is my bondmate, Tallith," she continued, slapping the male Turian sitting beside her on the shoulder. "The one over there is Ellanis, Valaris' twin brother. The Salarian is Illesral. She's with Yana."

Kara had met two Salarian females in her life, both at once, on Sur'Kesh. One had been a bitter, thirty-seven year old scientist, her name barely known despite amazing contributions to several fields. The other, a promising young engineer, nearly sixteen and full of audacity, but finding herself sidelined. In a cruel twist, it was the family Dalatrosses, who made it so. They did not want fertile females outside their control, because it meant hatchling males imprinted upon their mothers, and not their matriarch; a change that would have shattered the Salarian's feudalistic social structure. Ironically, this did not prevent the frequent assertion that males and females were equal in their society. Those females that did pursue non-administrative or political careers tended to be driven, independent personalities, often energetic even by Salarian standards. "What's her field?"

"Illesral? Sociology and bio-engineering. She has some strange ideas, and she loves to talk about them. Not unlike you, really," Orlanis smirked.

Shyness was not a common Salarian trait, at least in general. At the risk oversimplifying the reasons, they simply didn't have time for it. She didn't either, and it was time to reveal why she had come. "If Saren has his way, all this will be destroyed. Are you really going to walk away?"

The Turian groaned. "Don't you ever give up on anything?"

"You see that," Kara continued, pointing to Yana and Illesral. The Asari had closed her eyes, resting her head on the Salarian's shoulder, and odd as the pair appeared, their feelings were unmistakable. "That's what we're fighting to preserve. And your beautiful little son, still practicing his first words. If I thought the Reapers could be put off with words, I wouldn't be here, begging for your help. The only certainty we have is that if we don't fight, we'll die. So we make a choice."

"You—" Translators often had difficulty with expletives, but Kara's experience with Turian languages was enough to tell her that the one Orlanis used meant, literally, 'acrid smell'. "We've already offloaded all our gear. I told Executor Palin to put us back on active duty. Did you have to wait and make this argument now?"

"If I could," Kara said, softly enough that the Turian had to lean in close to hear her, "I'd go off with Liara. What we have is still new, and maybe not permanent, but I'd like the chance to try with her. I want to have a daughter, and watch her grow up. Those thoughts are strongest when we're holding each other close, and that's when I remind myself that I'm fighting to make our future possible."

Orlanis sighed, shaking her head. "I should have known you'd do this. Curse you."

"I've had two weeks to consider my options, Orlanis. You've got a mixed team that works well together, and gets along with my crew. I also know where you stand. No mercenary group can compare to that."

"Enough, Captain," the Turian snapped, "you've won. I wish you'd leave me to enjoy my evening."

Kara nodded, and withdrew, stopping by the bar to make arrangements for her promised round. Tali had used a similar argument against her, back at the beginning, and they had gained potency since, but still she continued to resent them, as she resented what she had just done. The more dire the threat, the easier it became to justify any action in opposition to it, lies and deceptions, murder, and, at the end of all things, even genocide. The rationalizations were timeworn, but effective.

She leaned on the bar as she waiting for the transaction to finish, and watched the scene she had left behind. Orlanis wore a grim expression, clutching her now-empty glass tightly; Tallith, his features tightened in concern, had his arm around her shoulders. Across the table, a confused looking Kaliran had noticed the change in her commander, interrupting Lixandris in mid-laugh. The disruption spread quickly down the length of the table.

The Turian behind the bar thanked her for her business, and she fled, out onto the Presidium, and on until all sound of the music had faded. Before Saren, before the Reapers, her galaxy had held no irredeemable evils, no existential threats. No justification for the cruelties people inflicted upon one another. She would not, could not compromise herself. Victory had no value if one sacrificed everything of worth to achieve it.

"Kara?"

She paused in her march. This was another discussion she didn't want to have, but couldn't avoid. Did she ask for what she wanted, when the soft voice, and the smile that went with it, set her heart pounding? It wasn't, and could not be, her choice. "Brynja," she breathed softly.

"Are you alright?" the blond asked.

She had only to slide her fingers into Brynja's silky, silver hair, and take half a step. She imagined soft lips parting for her, letting her taste— "Yes," she said, struggling to keep her voice even. "I was just going to join Liara."

"I really need to talk with you, Kara," Brynja said quietly. "About us."

The Presidium was in night-mode, the artificial sky dimmed, and the walkways lit by knee-high lights. Kara moved to the rail, overlooking the central pool. "This isn't the best time."

"I know," the blond sighed, "but I can't keep on like this. I thought I could do anything for you, but… I don't want to resent Liara, for what she has. I need to let go of you, and I can't do that on the _Normandy_. I'm staying here."

"Have you talked to Liara about this?" Kara asked. When she and Salaya had begun their romance, the Asari Matron had told Kara about her bond with another Asari, a relationship which had lasted for two hundred years, and could go on for the rest of their lives. She had found it strange, at the time, still burdened with archaic human attitudes towards love and sex, but she had trusted that Salaya's feeling for her were honest. She trusted that Liara loved her, as well, and expected that trust to work both ways.

"How can I, Kara? I helped you get back together. I'm not going to push you apart."

"Just trust me, and come talk to her," Kara said, taking Brynja's hand.

Brynja closed her eyes, her expression a confused mix of emotion in the darkness, and nodded silently.

* * *

><p>The suite Kara had booked was small, with little more than a living area and bedroom, both appointed in comfortable, aesthetically pleasing Asari style. Liara had arrived earlier, after searching the Council's Prothean archives for clues that could help them reach Ilos, or find the Conduit when the arrived, and was sitting on the sofa, her legs elevated on a pile of cushions. She still held a datapad, diligently continuing her research.<p>

"Hey," Kara said, smiling as she brushed her fingers against the Asari's bare soles.

"Hey," Liara repeated, shifting her legs to make room beside her. "I thought you'd be later. And alone," she added, turning a friendly smile on Brynja. The blond was looking paler than usual, as she lingered near the door.

Kara took the proffered spot, gently turning the young Asari's head towards her, and claiming a firm kiss. "I love you," she said, the message meant as much for Brynja as Liara. If things were to work out, the blond had to fully accept her commitment to both relationships.

"You love her, too," Liara whispered. Kara had not tried to hide it, when they had shared their minds. "Sit, Brynja."

"She doesn't want to hurt you."

Having taken a few steps further into the room, Brynja paused. "I, um—"

"Go on," Liara said, drawing Kara in with a hand about her waist. She smiled, and laid her head on the Asari's shoulder.

"She's very special," Brynja muttered. "I just… I can't…"

"I love her, Brynja, but I don't own her. If you can help make her happy, that's what matters."

The blond took a step forward. She had traded her uniform undershirt for a dressy, abstractly decorated tunic, her silver hair loose, just long enough to cover her shoulders. The style looked good on her, and Kara nodded her affirmation of Liara's point.

"Oh, Liara," Brynja said, finally. "It isn't hard to see why she loves you. Okay. I just… need some time to get used to the idea."

Kara stood, and wrapped the younger woman in her arms, placing a kiss on her cheek. "You know where to find me."

"Yeah," Brynja nodded, backing away. "Anyway, this is supposed to be your night. I'll see you both on the _Normandy_."

Kara waited for her to go, before turning back to Liara. She smiled seductively, beginning to unbutton her shirt as she sat in the Asari's lap. She had ever intention of taking advantage of the wide bed that awaited them in the next room.

* * *

><p>I've been searching for a way to avoid that last bit for a while. Not because I subscribe to any morality that insists on that polyamory is wrong, but because I wanted to be sure it was a natural step for all the characters involved. I hope I've achieved that goal.<p>

Thanks for reading, please leave a review.


	29. Foresight

So I was all ready to publish this last week, and then I realized I really wanted to add that scene that I hadn't thought was necessary, and so I had to go back and do that. I had an usual number of new readers sign up in the last week, so welcome everyone. And thanks to Lord Schmodder for the review.

It seems that fellow FF writer 'alienyouthct' has decided to borrow of few words of _Thessié_ from me, or will in the future, for a Faith(of Buffy fame)/ME2-3 story. I'll drop it in my favorites list if you're interested.

Edit: Fixed mistaken use of Bahak instead of Balak in the conversation with Kirrahe, thanks to Fruityone for the correction. Also traded the unfortunate use of 'normally' for 'often' in the brief discussion of Salarian alternative relationships.

Edit(again): NonSolus pointed out another error in the same section. I went over everything. Found quite a few errors, actually. Maybe I need an editor?

* * *

><p>CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE<br>_Foresight_

"Ungh, Kara," Emily groaned, standing in the doorway of her flat in nothing but a nightshirt. Her brown eyes still unfocused with sleep, and her hair tousled, even though it was nearly mid-morning, Citadel time. The air tasted of bitter coffee, rising from a mug clutched firmly in her hands. "What d'you want?"

"Emily. We need to talk," she said, pushing past the younger woman. The door opened immediately onto a small kitchen and dining room, flowing smoothly into a living room with windows looking out along the ward. Emily sighed and led the way to the square dining table, slouching in a chair on the far side.

"If this is about my reports, it's my job to ask questions, even if you don't like them."

Kara shook her head, following the young journalist, leaning against a chair back instead of sitting. "It isn't that, Emily. I think you've been honest, which is a start, and even insightful at times."

"There's a 'but' in there somewhere."

"No. I have another—"

"Em? Who was that?" someone asked from the bedroom. A man, from the sound of his voice, and he didn't wait for a response, stalking confidently into the dining room. Thin, dark-skinned, and quite naked, he paused in shock when he noticed her.

Kara smiled at him, and let her gaze trail along his body, neither ignoring or making an issue of his state of undress. She didn't find him to be an attractive man, though his parts were all in the right place, and he appeared to find her presence arousing.

"Shit, you're Shepard," he yelped, covering himself with his hands, before scampering back through the door in a much less dignified manner than he'd arrived.

"Boyfriend?" Kara inquired. In truth, she found the incident amusing, but who Emily spent time with, and what they wore, was not her business. It did complicate things, though.

Emily shrugged. "Maybe. He may not be exciting, but he's decent enough." She turned back to Kara. "Though I doubt you came here to talk about boys."

"What would you say to a chance to ride along, for the rest of the mission?" Kara asked, meeting the journalist's brown eyes with her own.

"Really?" Emily said excitedly, her first, impulsive response. "I'd love… to think about it."

Since she began doing interviews with the _Normandy_'s crew, almost twelve days ago, Emily had talked with enough of them to feel invested in the mission. Orlanis and Kirrahe, Adams, Ehigha, and even Keyx, who had been more uninformative than critical. Kara had even sent Tali in to talk about the Geth, and the young Quarian had a talent for charming people. That didn't, and couldn't, change the fact that her life, including her naked not-a-boyfriend, was on the Citadel, and that the adventures of the first human Spectre wasn't the only thing she reported on.

"I don't need a decision from you until we're ready to leave," Kara said, "but that may come without much warning."

"If you could just explain what this is about, that'd be a good start on convincing me," Emily suggested.

"I don't have any revelations for you," Kara laughed. "Sorry. It's an opportunity for you to get closer to the action, and to get to know the crew and I better."

Emily rolled her eyes. "You'd be horrible in sales. Never tell your customers the truth."

"We can't always make informed decisions, Emily. I can't point to any one thing I need you for, but I think working more closely together will benefit us both. You've already gotten Khalisah's attention, and her insults will only make her look foolish, and you more popular."

"Ah, now that's not fair," the young woman protested, "exploiting my weaknesses like that. I didn't think I was that transparent."

Khalisah had a talent for attracting attention, mostly by making a fool of herself, her sometimes obvious lies provoking a hostile response from people with more knowledge, and a rabid defense from her fans. Often a better policy was not to acknowledge people like her at all, because for them, ideology would override any rational argument.

"If you're coming, you should pack now. One storage locker for personal effects. Professional equipment is extra, but bring only what you need."

"I'll pack, but I haven't made my decision yet," Emily stated firmly. She turned to the bedroom door, as her boyfriend reappeared, now fully dressed.

"What decision, Em? Are you going somewhere?"

Kara had expected him to wait until she had gone, too embarrassed to face her, though he did avoid looking in her direction. "I imagine you'd prefer to have this discussion without me," she said.

"Yeah, thanks," Emily nodded.

Kara returned the younger woman's nod, and withdrew.

* * *

><p>"Don't tell me, Shepard," Sparatus said, frowning at her over the same narrow conference table which they'd met around over a month before, "you've more demands to make of us."<p>

Kara smiled at him. "No demands, Councillor. Suggestions. You're free to ignore them, but the survival of the galaxy rests on your making the right choice."

The Turian Councillor glared at her. "Ah, yes. This is about those Reapers of yours."

"The Geth Embassy has confirmed that Sovereign is not of Prothean design. Calls itself Nazara," Valern interrupted. "There could be others, hidden. Much of the galaxy is unexplored."

"Yes. You know from my last report that I allowed Liara to meld with the life-form ExoGeni uncovered on Feros, the Thorian, and that it gave her knowledge of the Protheans. Since then, she asked to link with me and re-experience the Prothean visions I acquired from the Beacons, and was able to trace their source to Ilos. She explained why its inaccessible."

"Ilos?" Adar said. "An expedition there was planned just a few years ago, it was canceled after an outbreak of violence in the Terminus Systems. Perhaps that was a mistake."

Potentially. Had an expedition been sent and arrived safely at Ilos, it could have located Relay 112 from the far side, effectively re-connecting the sector to the rest of the galaxy. She and the _Normandy_ could have arrived there already, and begun their search for the Conduit, with the aid of the research team.

"We still have a chance to get there before Saren," Kara said, shaking her head slowly. "Besides, if your expedition had found the Conduit years ago, we would have lost any chance of stopping him."

"Are you asking us to prepare and expedition now?" Sparatus asked.

Valern shook his head. "Wouldn't work. Our scientists have gone over the specifications provided by the Geth, in detail. Sovereign can reach an estimated speed of thirty-five light years per day, and may incorporate advanced static discharge technology. It would get there before us."

Kara nodded. She hadn't known the details of the Salarian's analysis, but the Reaper's superior technology was already in evidence. The only question would be how quickly Saren learned of the expedition, and connected it to the Conduit. "We need to make a priority of learning everything we can about the Reapers," she said, "starting with Indoctrination. We have all Saren's notes, and his chief researcher is in custody."

"The Justicars made an investigation into Rana Thanoptis, when they learned you had rescued her from Virmire," Adar said. "She's a superb neuroscientist, with additional background in psychology. She also had access to Indoctrinated subjects for study. What chance do we have of success, when she failed?"

_[The following was added to Chapter 11: Renewal; 'The Justicars were the internal security service of the Asari Republic, and an unfortunate necessity. Mostly made up of matriarchs with commando backgrounds, they operated with a high degree of independence, following a strict code of conduct designed to protect the innocent from their scrutiny. Highly honored, and sometimes called upon to arbitrate civil disputes, the harshest punishments in the Republic were reserved for Justicars who abused their position.']_

"I don't know," Kara began, pausing thoughtfully. She had studied the behavioral observations made by Saren, as well as Rana and her predecessor. Early symptoms included a subtle reverence towards Sovereign, which the Asari scientist had certainly showed. "If she were subjected to mild Indoctrination herself, then her failure might have come from subconscious manipulation, and, even if I'm wrong, there's no reason to believe that the Reapers are beyond our understanding. All we need is time and opportunity."

"Agreed," Valern nodded. "I'll have a list of qualified Salarian neuroscientists prepared."

"I met an Asari scientist, Ilya Tanral. Her background in comparative neurobiology could prove invaluable," Kara suggested. Sovereign had demonstrated an ability to Indoctrinate at least three sapient organic species, which might be key to understanding the ability.

Adar nodded. "Without knowing what Saren intends, I agree that your proposal is a justified precaution. If he is, as your report implied, Indoctrinated himself, it reveals just how vulnerable we would be if a head of state, or even one of us, were to fall."

Sparatus' jaw tightened. The Turian's strict hierarchy would be especially vulnerable. "Fine. Is that all?"

"Yes. Thank you for your help," she said, standing. As she walked out of the room and out into the Council Hall, she noticed Tevos' light footfalls behind her, and paused.

"Adar?"

"I thought you'd like to know, the evacuation of Feros was completed four hours ago. The colonists resisted violently, and I'm afraid five were killed."

She closed her eyes, and tried to shake off any feelings of regret. There was nothing she could have done, unless she had been willing to attempt to kill the Thorian. That would have been genocide, and there was every chance that the colonists would have tried to stop her—and then she would have been the one who had to fight them.

"Miguel Torres and his guards handled the evacuation, but in the end they were trapped between a host of creepers and the hostile colonists. That's when people started dying. Torres himself, and half his guards, didn't make it either."

Kara drew a deep breath, and nodded. She hadn't liked or trusted them, but that didn't mean she wanted to see them dead. Still, they were gone, and no matter how much she blamed herself, an early death was not an usual fate for mercenaries or pirates. Her concern had to be with the consequences. "Does the Alliance know?"

"The ambassador has been informed, yes. We've received no official response."

That was good news, at least. A quick response would have been inflammatory, when something more measured would serve better. "The crew deserve thanks for accepting the job. Let them know that they have mine."

"Of course. We'll be sure you're informed if anything comes up."

* * *

><p>Kara brushed her fingers through her freshly-cut hair, as she walked up the <em>Normandy<em>'s cargo ramp. She felt better with it done, and not only because it kept clear of her eyes. It reestablished her carefully unkempt appearance, more roguish and lest respectable than she did with it grown out. The bay was empty except for piles of new crates, one of which Garrus had open.

"Hey, Shepard," the Turian grinned as she passed. The crates he was checking were marked as containing dextro rations. "The loading crew moved all the gear from Orlanis' team back onboard this morning. I'm just checking up on the rest of the supplies. I, uh, don't think you're everyone's favorite person for today, though."

"I hope I didn't bring last night to an abrupt end," Kara said, nodding back at him.

Garrus closed and latched the crate. "I haven't seen so many CSec personnel get drunk so fast since I earned my commission, and they were all rookies. Kaliran and Auran didn't seem to mind the change, but I'd stay out of Orlanis' way."

"Do you think I did the right thing?" Kara asked, leaning against a pile of boxes that'd been pushed up against the interior bulkhead and secured.

"Even Turians need reminding of their duty, at times," Garrus shrugged. "We also need her help."

Kara smiled faintly. "I think more on the lives torn apart. It seems hypocritical, with me enjoying a warm bed, to keep Orlanis away from hers."

"Liara isn't here just to keep you company," Garrus reminded her, "and as you pointed out, ours aren't the only lives at stake. Someone has to take up the fight."

"Yeah." Someone, and she supposed that anyone would wish it could be someone else. Except for the foolish and the insane. "Do you know if Keyx is onboard?"

The Turian's expression darkened at the name. "He left just after we arrived. You'd be better off without that one, Shepard. He actually claimed that you were abducted by the Turians when you were fifteen, who programmed you with Salarian assistance, and that you're meant to help destroy humanity. Apparently, the Council 'activated' you by making you a Spectre."

Kara snorted. He'd gotten that one from Khalisah's 'Lost Shepard', a history of her life that barely managed to follow the basic facts laid down in her official military record, and made no attempt to explore her beliefs or motivations. A pure ideological assault, she had not even recognized the Kara Shepard which it portrayed, and found it shocking that Keyx might.

"He also suggested that he might 'pull the stick out of my 'Turian ass' and beat me with it, if I didn't get out of his way."

"You were right to let him go," she said, "and even if it isn't worth my time, I'd like to speak with him again. Would you check with CSec, and see if they've spotted him?"

He nodded. "Sure, but if you do go out looking for him, do me a favor and don't go alone? If he's as twisted up as he sounds, he might try and pull something crazy."

Keyx was, for the most part, the law abiding type, so he would go to the Alliance first. Convincing some patriotic idiot at the Embassy to lay an ambush for her would be the worst kind of public relations disaster for both sides, and possibly shift relations between them and the Council to outright hostility. Even if he had no such intentions, she wasn't sure of what she could say to him, or even if she could say anything helpful. Maybe leaving him to Ehigha was the best she could do. "I'll take Wrex, if it comes to that."

"Good choice. You can hardly accuse a Krogan of cooperating with us villainous Turians," Garrus grinned. "Not if you want to walk away with your limbs still attached, anyway."

Kara laughed. "I hear he's been short tempered of late," she agreed. "Let me know when you find something."

"Yeah," the Turian nodded, heading out the cargo bay door as she turned further into the ship.

* * *

><p>Kara found Karen and Ehigha in medical storage, checking through their own crates of new medical supplies. Preparing for the potential needs of the extensively multi-species crew left little extra space in the small room. Thankfully, Liara had transferred the artifacts from Feros to the Citadel Archives, and moved the rest of her things into Kara's cabin.<p>

"Kara," Karen said, looking up when she entered. "If you're looking for Sayuri, she and Pema went to see that new Blasto vid. Joker was talking it up over breakfast."

"No doubt I'll have to endure a few jokes about my not causing enough explosions," Kara sighed.

"He told them already," Karen said, smiling fondly. "I gave Sayuri her followup before she left, and everything looks good. She'll be ready for combat in a week or two."

Kara nodded, and moved to touch Ehigha on the shoulder. He had given her his usual nod of greeting, before returning to his task. "I need to speak with you for a moment."

"If this about Keyx," Ehigha said, following her out of the storeroom, "I don't know where he went."

Sitting on the edge of the nearest bed, Kara sighed. She hadn't asked Ehigha to reveal anything of his patient's progress before, believing that Keyx would speak to her when he was ready. "How was he doing?"

"I'm not sure," the doctor frowned, rubbing his bearded chin. "I thought he had accepted his loss, but Janine sent him a vid of Sarah's funeral service two days ago. I'd guess that he just needed to get away from here."

"Away from me, you mean," Kara said quietly. Everything to do with the _Normandy_ probably reminded him of her, and of the loss he blamed her for. Maybe that was why he had gone, just to get away, and nothing more. "I've asked Garrus to try and find him."

"Maybe you should just let him go. If he doesn't trust you, he won't be of any help to the mission. Some of the others worry about Earth, but they trust you to hold things together, but Keyx can't, not until he realizes that you aren't responsible for the death of his child."

She hated the idea of abandoning anyone, but she supposed it was his choice. He would, like the rest of the crew, receive the recall signal before the _Normandy_ departed, and have time enough to rejoin them. "I'll have Garrus let you know what he finds out. What to do about it is your choice."

"This isn't easy for you, I know. But he isn't under any threat, and he doesn't want you to save him."

Kara frowned irritably at the young doctor, dismissing him with a faint nod. She still didn't like being analyzed.

* * *

><p>"<em>Mír of Athela wrote the best poetry I've ever experienced, despite the translation to modern Thessié. Salaya introduced me to her. I read an English translation of her, but… it doesn't work. It made me think about how different we are. I know Galactic civilization would be impossible without our translators, but differences in how we think, and the nuances of speech, they're glossed over. We communicate, but only on a crude level. Sometimes, I think we forget that you're not just blue women<em>."

"_That's not something I thought about much, buried in ancient ruins,_" Liara said, pausing to sip an orange Athelian wine from a short glass. A premium region for growing the Asari wine-making fruit of choice, hearing its name had brought Mír to the front of Kara's thoughts. "_I think our ability to talk like this has made us closer, yes. I learned one of the Salarian dialects—Isusas—when I was younger, and I remember just how alien it seemed. _They _seemed_."

Kara reached across the table, to squeeze Liara's hand. She had a mind to coax a happily engaged expression out of her lover, not one of serious thought. _"For a species that doesn't often have relationships like ours, _Two _was remarkably moving_."

"_That was the first time I really _felt _what prejudice meant,_" Liara replied, meeting Kara's green eyes with her own blue ones. "_They were just so happy together, and everyone else insisted that Salarians didn't feel like that, but they just didn't care. They believed in what they had_."

_Two_ was a seminal work of Salarian gay romance. Their soft-shelled eggs were externally fertilized, so that they had no act analogous to sexual intercourse, but the vid had expertly expanded on the notion that they could experience the emotion of love—a relatively new concept to them, at the time, borrowed from their then-recent first-contact with the Asari.

"_What about… _Silmére." There was another sublime piece of art. Peaceful Asari society did not provide the most interesting story material, and so their most famous and engaging stories took place in times of turmoil—in this case, the defining period of Thessian history, _eztakelle tiya_, or the Last War, when Anarchist forces fought for and won control over the future of their world.

[_eztei_; n., death + _kelle_; adj., unpleasant or cruel, by deliberate intent = _eztakelle_; n., war. Tiya; adj., last or final, but can also mean _latest_. The name was chosen in the period immediately following the war, using the later meaning, partly out of fear that war would return to Thessia, and doubts as to the endurance of the society they were buildings. Although Asari commandos and soldiers fought in both the Rachni war and the Krogan Rebellion, the whole of their society was never drawn in, as it was during the Last War, and Thessia itself had not been threatened by conflict, so the name was never changed.]

There was the expression Kara wanted; not just the faint curve of Liara's lips, but the tone of her voice, and the light in her eyes. "_When she found her daughter, after the war ended… after all they'd been through. The joy she felt, and how it made her admit her feelings to Kaleen. I felt so happy for her_."

"_She deserved it_," Kara smiled. Silmére, a young matron when the war started, was dragged into the fighting when her town was razed. She believed her eight year old daughter died in the attack, along with the child's _kerta_, and though she never found out which side led the assault, she entered the war herself. "_It was the first Asari story I ever read, even before I left Arcturus station. When the war finally ended, and she looked around… she no longer knew how to do anything but fight, not even to feel. She hated herself, as I hated who I was_."

"_So you went _kyrandéa," Liara said. "_Like her_."

A _kyrandé_ was an Asari, usually a matron or older, who chose to wander in search of wisdom, different from a _yashandril_ in search of adventure. "_Did it work_?"

"_I don't think so_," Liara teased, "_but I love you anyway_."

Kara laughed softly, and sipped at her tea. She enjoyed sex, but the quiet, intimate moments—they were the ones that she treasured. Sitting with her lover in a café, talking about things unimportant to the fate of the galaxy, was something she didn't do enough.

* * *

><p>The restaurant specified in the note was dingy and poorly lit, the tables sticky with grease. Not the sort of place that Kara frequented, but for those who preferred their food cheap and plentiful, she could see the appeal. It was also fairly deep in the wards, far away from the bright corridors and frequent CSec patrols that marked the more respectable areas. This section had a reputation for collecting an eclectic, and largely unpleasant, alien population, including Vorcha, Batarians, and a small population of Drell who had refused to indenture themselves to the Hanar, when scyphozoan-like race had rescued them from their doomed homeworld.<p>

Kara took a seat in the corner, from which she could keep an eye on the door. She had no reason to expect a trap, but remained wary of random violence aimed at a vulnerable lone human. Even the server, an overweight Drell with a sharp tongue, looked as though he might be sizing her up for an encounter in a dark alley as he demanded that she order something. Not caring to test the food, she settled for a glass of water, much to his annoyance.

While she waited for her contact to arrive, she set her omnitool on the table, and began checking the day's news. It had been a week since Hackett had taken full command of the Alliance Navy, and she had hoped that reports of successful raids on pirate outposts would have begun to filter out. Whether he suspected Batarian government or Cerberus involvement in supplying the pirates, he had good reason to keep things quiet. What was clear, however, was that Hackett's new deployment strategy had increased interception of incoming raids, at the cost of more lost ships and personnel.

She shut off the display as a suspiciously hooded figure came through the door, scanning the room as if looking for someone. When it spotted her, she noticed the light reflecting off two pairs of eyes, and she nodded.

"Kara. It's been too long," the figure said, sitting down across from her. It spoke with the rough voice of a male Batarian, and a familiar one at that.

"Fifteen years," Kara said, smiling faintly at the memories his presence brought up, of a fifteen year-old girl debating galactic politics in a much more friendly café. "I thought you'd gone back to Khar'shan."

The Batarian hissed. "I did. It was worse than I remembered, and I escaped barely ahead of the Enforcers. Look at you, though—the harmless little Earth girl is a Spectre now."

Kara shook her head, smiling faintly at his description. She would have objected to it then, but it seemed like so much had changed since. "Yes."

"Narelle told me what happened, and why you left. I never expected to hear from you again, but then the Hegemony broadcast parts of the Alliance's Torfan hearings, and there you were, indomitable as usual. I guess you found what you were looking for on Thessia."

"Yes," she said, her gaze drifting downward. "Asari can be very generous to those they trust."

The Batarian smiled at her. "You were quick to earn my trust," he said, leaning in closer. His four dark eyes studied her face intently, before he continued in a whisper. "I still have friends back home, and sometimes they hear things. The militarists finally managed to swing the Hegemony into accepting that peace with humans is hopeless, thanks to the Alliance's latest propaganda campaign, and now they've pushed through a first-strike terrorist attack."

"Just the excuse the Alliance wants," Kara muttered. "Can it be stopped?"

"That's why I contacted you," Kleth said. "Officially, they attack in eight days, but that's a deception. It'll be sooner. The target is in the Asgard system."

The Asgard system was home to humanity's second oldest colony, a world with almost four and a half million inhabitants, plus an uncertain number of refugees arriving from smaller and more vulnerable colonies. The Alliance Navy had maintained a sizable response fleet in the system since the raids started, but Hackett had reassigned most of it as part of his new strategy. "Anything more?"

"Just a name: Balak. He's an experienced slaver, with no _official_ connection to the government. If he were stopped, the Hegemony would be glad that a tragedy was averted."

Kara brushed her hand through her hair and sighed. The _Normandy_ could be on the scene in four days, but that wouldn't matter if she couldn't find Balak in time. She could try the STG—they kept a close watch on the Batarians, especially the more aggressive slavers. "Thanks, Kleth. I'll take care of it."

* * *

><p>"<em>Normandy<em>, this is Shepard," Kara said, as her car cruised over the surface of the Wards, towards the Presidium ring. Knowing that the Reapers built the Relays had to raise the same question about the Citadel—its outer hull, which would protect the interior if the arms were ever closed, was made of the same advanced material. The Council had made the same deduction, quietly accelerating several planned projects to investigate the inner workings of the station. There were even rumors that a Salarian scientist had discovered a way of scanning the Citadel's enigmatic caretakers, the insectoid Keepers. She assumed that they too were a product of Reaper technology.

"_Fiona here, Cap'n_."

"Recall the crew. I want the ship ready to leave in an hour. And make sure Emily Wong is informed of our departure time."

"_Aye, ma'am. There's, uh, another matter. Garrus passed on an alert from CSec—Aoki, Ásdísdotter and T'ao are in overnight holding. The official report is that they started a fight in the wards…_"

If she had the time, she would have followed her instinct and left them, but she couldn't afford to leave anyone behind. "I'll take care of it," she sighed. "I need to talk to Kirrahe, if you could put him on."

"_Right away, ma'am._"

Had they picked a fight with the Blasto crowd over, well, _her_? In that case, Sayuri and Brynja were her primary suspects. Not the sort of behavior she could condone, if true, but here her suspicions were well ahead of any real data.

"_What is it, Captain?_" Kirrahe asked, in his usual impatient tone.

"I need to you to contact the STG, and see if they have any recent information on a Batarian named Balak. He's a slaver, with some unofficial links to the government. I've got intel that he's planning an attack on Terra Nova in less than eight days, but I need more."

"_The STG hates sharing unnecessary information with operatives_," Kirrahe said.

The car was approaching the Presidium security checkpoint, maneuvering to land on an open pad. "Tell them it might prevent a war."

"_Got it, Captain. Kirrahe out_."

* * *

><p>"Captain, ma'am!" T'ao snapped, jumping to her feet and throwing a sharp salute, despite the fact that none of them were wearing uniforms. A dark bruise had appeared on her cheek, her only obvious injury. Not really the brawling type, she may have tried to avoid getting involved.<p>

Kara waved the enlisted engineer down, frowning as Brynja and Sayuri turned in her direction. "The _Normandy_ is leaving in less than an hour," she said, softly, "and I'm already one person down. Which one of you is going to explain why you're in this cell?"

Bryjna studied Kara's boots as if they were something interesting, and not the Alliance's standard issue footwear. Sayuri merely avoided her gaze, while Pema looked to the other two—both outranked her, after all.

"Ensign Ásdísdotter," Kara snapped, "you're the senior officer present. I require an explanation."

"We, well…"

The young blond had gone pale, and Sayuri sighed, touching her shoulder. "I invited her to see Blasto with Pema and me. Shitty vid, you know, but I needed a distraction."

'More explosions than lines of dialogue' could be a tagline of the genre, though Kara couldn't claim to know it well. The action hero genre was a primarily human obsession, with the Blasto franchise being their creation, as well as most of its audience. "Go on."

"So, the vid ends, and as we're leaving I noticed a group of sweaty prats implying that that stupid Hanar was a better Spectre than you…" Sayrui said. Kara didn't accept her implied explanation—her voice lacked the necessary passion. It had annoyed her, but not angered her.

Kara turned her gaze on Brynja. Despite the reputation of the marines, and Sayuri's superior strength, she suspected the blond of starting the altercation; her Japanese companion tended to shrug off insults.

"I, uh, told them they were ignorant pissants, who didn't know what they were talking about," Brynja admitted, still staring at the floor.

"What did they say to make you attack them?" Kara asked quietly.

"They said you were a whore for the Turians," Brynja whispered. Her jaw tightened, lips pressed closed in a thin line that cut off any further words, but they hardly needed saying. Threatening rape was an unfortunately popular tactic, at least among among certain types of men. That they were, in Kara's case, unable to follow through, did not make it acceptable, or any less vile. Sexual violence was still an all too common method of control. Kara refused to tolerate it, and couldn't blame anyone for feeling the same.

"I've cleared you for release," she said, shaking her head. She kept her gaze focused on Brynja as she spoke, and the blond squirmed uncomfortably under it. "I may not enforce discipline like you're used to, but that doesn't mean I don't expect more from you. I would leave you in here until CSec deigned to let you out, but…"

"We'll behave, ma'am," Sayuri declared, placing herself between Kara and the blond. She must have known of Brynja's feelings—did she know they were returned?

Kara sighed. She and Brynja would likely need to have several long talks, but later. "Good. Let's go."

* * *

><p>So we're on our way again. But how, you may ask, will you bring in Noveria? I have a few ideas, but it will ultimately depend on what happens in the next few chapters. I don't know how I'll handle that, either. Well, I thought the same when I started the Feros arc.<p>

Yes, I did just redefine the Justicars. Probably not a surprise to anyone at this point. And more of that tying Kara's backstory into the plot, which is always a good thing.

Thanks for reading, please leave a review


	30. Resistance

So, a few people have now remarked on my-and Kara's-distaste for humanity. Yes. As the years pass, I find that my distaste for 'humanity as savior' narratives grows stronger. Mass Effect explains it with vague platitudes-individuality! Puppies! Shepard!-Babylon 5 talked about us 'building communities', which is odd, because we tend to group into tribes(nationalities) and then go shoot the funny-colored 'others', with their wacky customs and heretical religions. Obviously there's more of the same out there, but I guess you get the idea. And this is a political critique, not one of writing or narrative quality. B5 is a well-told story; Mass Effect started out well, but tripped up at the first sequel.

It is possible that I overcompensate. Probable. Did I mention that finally finished updating chapter three? With more Tali? Go check that out.

Thanks to thefruityone and NonSolus for a bit of editing(of the last chapter, not this one), I'm happy to make the corrections, and to everyone else who left a review.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER THIRTY<br>_Resistance_

"Have you heard anything yet, Garrus?" Kara asked, leaning against the central console as the Turian took her place in CIC. She had just finished her first full shift since leaving the Citadel, putting them at about twenty hours out.

Garrus' jaw tightened, as he checked through the latest status reports. "Sorry, Captain. If you had official standing as his CO, that'd be different. All Sergeant Lijhallex would tell me is that Keyx hasn't turned up dead or injured. You might have more luck going straight to the Executor. At least he'll understand the responsibilities of a commander to their troops."

Kara shook her head. Executor Palin disliked Spectres, and hated bending the rules. She could overrule him, but with every reason to believe that Keyx had left of his own free will, she didn't have cause. "No," she sighed. "It's time to let him go. Even if he is in trouble, there's nothing we can do from here."

"I know it's harsh, but I think it's good he's gone. A subversive influence like that can split a crew, and his bitterness wasn't helping morale."

Of course, the Alliance had a list of 'morale exercises' they trained their command officers in; the officer-in-charge on Elysium, prior to the Blitz, had favored talent shows for cheering up his garrison, most of whom would have preferred a posting in space. The very idea had made Kara cringe, particularly when he insisted on having his more reluctant officers perform. She had spent two weeks in an empty warehouse with a violin, trying to remember lessons from when she was a child. Though she wasn't likely to sign on with an orchestra any time soon, she had made it though her performance without embarrassing herself. Even so, she did not care to repeat it, or inflict anything similar on others. "You think it's a problem?"

"Not yet, but two months on a frigate, with only a few days leave? This can't go on for much longer."

"If Saren doesn't cooperate, it'll be another month at least. We'll try for a week's leave again, when this mission is over." Provided no lead on Saren or Ilos came up, of course.

The Turian nodded. "We could use it, for real this time. A clear victory would help, too. Is that what we're after now?"

"Something like that," she sighed. It wouldn't hurt to show the crew that her issues with the Alliance did not extend to the masses, who were mostly guilty of being mislead. "I'm keeping this one quiet for good reason, Garrus. Things may get tense, before its over, and I don't want to make things worse." Particularly by involving the Alliance. The current head of the Alliance Intelligence Division wasn't know for caring about unnecessary deaths, human or otherwise, so long as her interests were advanced, just the type of mentality that would start the war Kara hoped to prevent. If she failed, the war would still happen, plus the tens of thousands of dead needed to make a terrorist attack worthwhile.

"You're taking too much on yourself," Garrus snapped. "Spirits, Shepard. You know that I don't mind breaking a few rules to get things done, but you can't just…"

"Don't pretend that I have much choice, Garrus," Kara said quietly. "Should I just let Cerberus terrorize the galaxy? Allow the Alliance to goad the Hegemony into a war that will kill hundreds of millions? I thought Spectres took an oath to protect galactic peace."

"If Saren succeeds in bringing back the Reapers, hundreds of billions will die. None of us want war, but you may have to make a choice. Oh, I've seen you in action enough to know you think you can do everything, but this time, that might just get everyone killed, and I don't just mean us. I mean mass genocide."

Kara frowned. She accepted that, by reporting that she had learned of the Conduit's location on Ilos, Saren would learn of it too. She had accepted the possibility that the events she'd set in motion would outpace her ability to follow, if Sovereign really could locate the missing relay, or Saren had some other means of finding it quickly. Rather, she was relying on the hope that the rogue Spectre would mobilize external resources, which the Council could track, perhaps even back to him. She hoped it would take him a week at least—by which time she could be finished with Balak's terrorists and headed back to the Citadel.

If not… could she really order the _Normandy_ turned around? If Balak succeeded in attacking Terra Nova, her crew would surely guess that she'd intended to stop it. She didn't know if she could survive that hit to morale. "Sometimes, Garrus, we're left with a choice between the bad and the untenable. Which one would you make?"

The Turian frowned, turning back to his console. He had described his encounter with a Salarian doctor, Saleon, who he'd caught performing experiments on _in vivo_ growth of cloned organs, using poor volunteers and no proper control, selling the successes for on the black market for his own profit, and leaving the failures inside his unfortunate victims. He'd fled, when caught, leaving Garrus with just the sort of moral dilemma she meant; order the fleeing scientist's ship shot down and risk civilian casualties, or let him go.

Garrus' untenable choice had been to let the Salarian go, so he'd ordered Citadel Control to open fire. His superiors had overridden him, and Saleon had escaped, possibly to continue his experiments elsewhere. Kara would have chosen the opposite, but at least she knew he understood. "Whatever happens, Shepard, I'll stand by you. I hope you don't have to make the choice."

Kara straightened, putting her hand on the Turian's shoulder. "So do I."

* * *

><p>Kara sat opposite Orlanis in the empty mess. This was the second night she'd seen the female Turian sitting alone during the early hours of the morning, simply brooding over a cup of the Turian liquid stimulant of choice, a dark, unpleasant-smelling brew that always reminded her of coffee. She had been on her way to bed, after going through yet another stack of STG reports and finding no sign of Saren.<p>

"Captain," she acknowledged, her resonant voice decidedly flat. She shook her head and continued, quietly, but not as cold. "I don't want to have this conversation."

"Good. I don't really have time for it."

Orlanis' jaw clenched in irritation when she didn't leave. "What do you want me to say? That I'm glad you manipulated me into missing another month of my sons' life?"

"I'm not…" Kara sighed. She was too tired to have this conversation, but there were not many opportunities for the two of them to talk alone. Breathing deeply, she forced herself to focus. "You don't have to like me, Orlanis, but I do need you to trust me."

"I can't like you and be angry with you at the same time?" the Turian asked. "You just… you seemed to understand why I couldn't stay, and then—"

She cut herself off with a deep sigh. "Just promise me that, once Saren is beaten, you'll let me go."

"I'll put you in charge of recruiting your replacement," Kara said, smiling softly.

"It's good that you're committed to stopping the Reapers, Kara, and I'll help if I can," Orlanis said, smiling back at her. "From the comfort of my own flat."

Kara laughed. "I wish I had that option."

"It's odd that you say that," the Turian said. "I can't see it, though. What would you do with your time?"

"I could find something," Kara shrugged. Yes, she had a lot of ideas, and no certainties, but she hardly lacked for interests. "It isn't worth dwelling on, right now. I need to remain focused."

"And for that you need sleep," Orlanis noted, "and so do I. Kara, I… I don't want to say that I forgive you, but I do understand your need. I'll try not to make things difficult for you."

Kara nodded, as she stood. It was as much as she deserved.

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry, Captain."<p>

Kara shook her head and forced a smile. "It's not your fault, Sevis."

"I spoke with Director of Operations Rellisec," Kirrahe continued. "He refused to cooperate. 'No Salarian interests at stake. Not worth risk of exposing agents.'"

Naturally. The Salarian's rivalry with the Hegemony went back centuries, and included espionage and assassinations on both sides, and a few minor skirmishes. Asari diplomats had struggled to maintain the peace, but they were easily offended by quite a few aspects of Batarian society—slavery, misogyny, the inflexible caste system, and brutal authoritarian government. Their laws banning the enslavement of non-Batarians were a direct result of Asari intervention.

So actually, Salarian interests _were_ at stake, but they were served by war between Earth and Khar'Shan, and the longer it went on, weakening both sides, the more they would benefit. Her Spectre authority would be of no help, here; they were obliged to share intelligence only on official missions. She would have to persuade the Council to give her access, and she doubted that Vallern or Sparatus would be interested in cooperating. Adar might, but of the three, she would be the least likely to have access to useful information.

Kara turned back to the main display, currently filled with Balak's Alliance profile, pulled from the _Normandy_'s database. "So, what do you think of him?"

"Brutal and cunning. A fanatic. He won't be stopped with words."

Balak was about one hundred and fifty years, middled aged for one of his species. Old enough to remember what Kleth laughingly called the glory days, before the Alliance appeared on the scene. The Hegemony's travel and communication restrictions made it difficult to construct a proper profile of him, though. She had no idea what kind of life he had, or what drove him to take up the mantle of slaver, but his first known raid had taken place almost twenty years earlier, with sightings two or three times a year since. Though he preferred soft targets, he did not limit his attacks to poorly defended colonies on the edge of Alliance space; through carefully strategy and timing, he'd successfully hit some more populated and well-defended worlds.

Kara frowned, and switched display over to a chart of the Asgard system. Terra Nova was presently headquarters of the Fourth and Fifth fleets, a total of about two hundred cruisers and six hundred frigates. The Fourth fleet was distributed at strategic points across the frontier, while the Fifth went on the offensive. She guessed that some hundred and fifty ships, including the Fourth Fleet's flagship dreadnought, the _SSV Shasta_, and its companion carrier, the _Nobel_, protected the Asgard system. The Batarians would have to employ stealth, and they would not be expecting to come out alive.

A suicide strike changed the rules. They wouldn't waste time gathering captives, or worrying about fallen comrades. They'd hit hard and fast, doing their damage before a response could be mustered. Kara suspected them to hit a military target, not out of concern for civilian casualties, but as the most damaging possible first strike. The most obvious choice was not the fleet itself, to which they could not inflict more than superficial damage, but a hardened military complex south of Terra Nova's major city, which handled manufacture and distribution of rations and spare parts across the entire Batarian frontier. Destroy it, and the Alliance would have to fight with overextended supply lines, or sacrifice a string of minor colonies.

The next question was how. The most critical, and best defended, part of the complex was the manufacturing plants. Properly placed explosives would shut the place down. Overloading the military-grade fusion reactor would provide a more spectacular, and difficult, alternative. Either way would take a well-trained commando team, and there was no evidence that Balak had that kind of skill.

The easy terrorist alternative was to drop a freighter on it from orbit. It had been done before, but with the fleet at high alert, ships would be on watch for signs of such an attack. Ships not performing proper procedure for orbital insertion would be flagged and intercepted. As Terra Nova had no orbital transfer station, despite pushing to get funding through Parliament for years, that meant prep for landing; speeds ideal for low-friction reentry, as freighters were not designed for atmospheric braking. Jumping to FTL straight out of the relay was no solution, either; travel speeds in populated systems were limited to two hundred and twenty five thousand kilometers per second, or three quarters of the speed of light.

She couldn't help but think she was missing something important, the key to the whole puzzle, but she did not have access to the Alliance military network, just the files stored in the _Normandy_'s computer, and the Spectre database. "What's your analysis of the situation?"

"Desperate, Captain. We need more information. I recommend you inform the Alliance."

"If I do that, then this will end in blood," she sighed, standing, and making for the door. She paused with her hand raised to the controls. "Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who doesn't want that. You'd think people would get tired of it."

She keyed open the door. "Talk to Rellisec again. I'll try the Council."

"Yes, Captain."

Kara thought she detected irritation in the tone of his voice, or perhaps frustration. At Rellisec's refusal to cooperate, or at her unreasoning demands? Maybe he even shared the sentiment of his superiors as the STG. She turned around. "Remind him that wars aren't clean. The Union won't be able to stay out of it for long."

"Sir, I've given you no cause to doubt my commitment to following your orders."

"No, you're right. I'm sorry."

"Accepted," the Salarian nodded. "There are… other options. Less official. Rellisec has allied himself too closely with House Linrael. He has enemies within the STG, who would benefit from seeing him exposed."

That was no surprise. The STG maintained its support due to a reputation for being uninvolved in family matters, much like the Salarian Navy, though it had always been something of a fiction. "You?"

"Try not to get involved in politics," Kirrahe finished. "The Dalatross of my house would be just as quick to take advantage of the situation as Linrael is."

Interesting, because it implied that House Linrael was in a position to benefit more from a Human-Batarian war than the others. She knew that it was the most powerful of all the Salarian families, and had been so for a millennia, but not much beyond that.

"It's your choice, Sevis, and I'll trust you to make it," Kara decided. "Let me speak to the Council, first."

* * *

><p>"Kara<em>,<em>" Adar muttered, rubbing her face tiredly. Behind her, visible but out of focus, was part of her private suite on the Presidium tower. "What is this about."

Kara leaned forward in her chair, closer to the display. "I need your help, Adar."

"Yes." The Asari shook her head. "You agreed to keep us informed, Kara. Instead, we learn from the STG that you've been making inquires about a Batarian slaver. You're off on another one of your personal crusades, aren't you?"

"_Crusades?_" Kara replied, translating to _Thessié_ herself. Asari history did not have an abundance of religious wars, and none of them were well-regarded.

"Quest, then," Adar said, her tone more amused than annoyed. She continued sternly; "Explain yourself."

Kara nodded, and leaned back. She deserved the censure, from the Council's perspective. After all, she had lectured them on the need to monitor their Spectres more closely. "He's planning a terrorist attack on Terra Nova, Adar. Stopping him is more important than politics."

The Asari sighed, looking down at her hands. "I'm not the one who got that wrong. We would have helped, even if some of us needed persuading, and you knew it. I would've helped," she continued, meeting Kara's gaze. "I still will, but I need to know why."

"You feel obligated to inform the Alliance," Kara said. "I know that, and I understand. If I failed, and they found out that you'd withheld information, it'd go badly. Besides, I'm not convinced that the Intelligence Division would want him stopped."

As monstrous as it sounded, Kara knew it had happened before. Corpses were much more useful for stirring up public sentiment than thwarted terrorists. She suspected that Cerberus might be behind some or all of the recent raids on human colonies for the same reason.

"How do you tolerate a government that feels so free to lie to you?" Adar asked incredulously. She was well-versed in alien social structures, and could likely answer her own question; despite the image of rugged individualism that the Alliance liked to project, most humans were conformists, who were punished for seeking out unpopular ideas. Of the people who managed to learn the truth, a rare few cared enough to act. "I'll cede the decision to inform the Alliance to you, but I can't protect you if you fail."

Kara nodded. "That's fair, Adar. If you can provide the information I need to find him, stopping him shouldn't be difficult."

"I'll speak to Tellin. He won't be happy about any of this, but he'll cooperate. As will the STG."

Kara smiled softly. "Thank you."

* * *

><p>Wrex roared, swinging his scaled fists at his smaller, more dextrous opponent. Sayuri ducked under the blows, throwing a few light punches at his gut before moving back out of range. The young marine had pushed herself hard, in the four days since they'd left the Citadel, and her footwork had improved markedly, but she still had a lot of retraining to do. It didn't quite save her from the angry Krogan's charge, though, and he slammed into her, knocking her against the padded wall.<p>

"Not bad, Aoki," he rumbled. "You up for another match?"

Sayuri pushed to her feet, rubbing her shoulder, which had taken most of the impact from the Krogan and the wall. "Sure," she grinned. "Unless Kara is willing to step into the ring?"

Kara nodded. She did not discount the benefits of training, but Serta Foundation had made some progress in neural scanners, which allowed their limbs to be calibrated to their specific user, rather than forcing the brain to adapt to the new limb. Thought it still had limits, it partly accounted for the pace of Sayuri's recovery. "Any conditions?"

"How about no biotics?" the young marine grinned. "Maybe I still can't take you, but it should make things more fun."

"Agreed," Kara said, taking Wrex's place in the ring. She had asked Kirrahe to take part of her shift in CIC so that she could observe Sayuri's progress. As he was currently talking with the STG's Director of Operations, in an attempt to secure more information on Balak's activities, it wasn't really interrupting his activities.

Sayuri grinned sharply at her, and made a very traditional bow. Kara nodded in return, and dropped into a defensive stance, waiting for her opponent to make the first move.

The younger marine was an unexceptional fighter, and more brawler than martial artist. Her blows were heavy and unsubtle, dangerous in their own way.

Kara blocked those she couldn't evade, letting the assault expend itself before switching roles and going on the offensive. When the chance came, she placed her blows as carefully as she could to test Sayuri's footwork.

She managed well at first, but as Kara continued to press she stumbled and fell. "Damn it!"

"You're doing fine," Kara said, offering the marine a hand up and a smile.

"I'm tripping over my own fucking feet," Sayuri snapped. "I can't fight like this."

Kara offered her hand again. "I'm not counting you out yet. Or ever."

"Nice of you to say, but I'm tired of sitting around feeling crippled and useless." Reluctantly, Sayuri took Kara's hand, and let herself be pulled to her feet. "I'd wager you don't know how that feels."

"No." Kara could understand why she might feel that way, though. Sayuri self-identified as a marine, and that was how she needed to help; not by sitting at the _Normandy_'s controls, but by fighting on the ground. "You'll be ready, Sayuri, and you'll get to fight, but you've never been useless, and you shouldn't feel that way."

"Another round?" Sayuri said, flashing her usual grin. "This time, I'm gonna hand you your ass."

* * *

><p>"Exiting Relay in five seconds," Jeffrey remarked, his hands poised lightly on the <em>Normandy<em>'s controls. The ship's stealth systems could not hide their emissions during a Relay jump, or when running a strong mass effect field; the Alliance knew they were coming, and an exit point was a good place for an ambush. If a threat presented itself, he would try to keep the ship safe until they could jump to FTL, and regroup somewhere out of sight. "And… now."

The empty, blue-tinted void out the forward viewport burst abruptly into a starscape, as the ship rapidly decelerated. Off the starboard side of the ship, several thousand kilometers away, hung the familiar, split-pin form of the Mass Relay, the bright blue glow of its field generator dimming as it shifted into standby mode. "Drift within target range," the pilot muttered. Barely, Kara guessed, from the irritation in his voice, but that was to their advantage. Any interception fleet would be centered on the exit point.

"Brynja?" Kara said, turning away. Jeff had already begun reorienting the ship, preparing to leave the arrival zone.

"Nothing but a standard gate picket on scanners, ma'am," the blond replied. "They've acknowledged our arrival, and are requesting that we proceed to the fleet staging point over Terra Nova. It seems that Admiral Hackett is here, and wants to speak to you."

"Inform them that we're on a priority mission, and are unable to comply." She hadn't really had time to go through the files sent to her by the STG, but they had helpfully prioritized one piece of information; a modified registry number for a Kowloon class freighter. Even better than anticipating Balak's target, she had a chance to intercept him quietly, in space, but the _Normandy_ needed to remain near the Relay. "Jeff, move us to a standard surveillance position."

"Ma'am," Brynja said, her voice coolly professional, as it had been since they left the Citadel. She had avoided Kara when they were off duty, ever since they had left the Citadel, but had spoken some to Liara. "We've got an incoming transmission from Admiral Hackett."

Kara sighed, and pushed thoughts of the blond from her head. She hoped that the Admiral had something worthwhile to say, but she expected him to issue a few crude threats, and then to demand an explanation for her presence. The military life tended to reward conventional thinkers, and a certain element of dated masculinity; she didn't know him well enough to comment on the latter, but his record showed that he favored a frontal assault in force over clever strategy. Despite this deficiency, he managed to gain the loyalty and respect of the men and women under his command, certainly an important quality in a leader. "I'll take it in the comm room."

* * *

><p>"Spectre Shepard. It's been a while," Hackett said, his scarred and bearded face, projected on the main display, not showing much emotion. Since he'd given her the Star of Terra, five and a half years ago; it was the only time they'd crossed paths. He'd been a Rear Admiral, in command of colonial garrisons, at the time, and the Admiral in charge of the Torfan operation. His promotion to Fleet Admiral had come two years back, amidst much fanfare from the media, which had long favored him.<p>

Kara nodded faintly, and casually sat in the nearest chair. "Steven."

"What's your business in this sector?" he demanded, scowling at her, his rough voice taking on an added edge. Used to being addressed by strangers and colleagues alike with the deference given his rank, Kara could understand why her use of his first name might irk him, but she needed to establish her place outside the chain of command.

"I'm sorry, but I can't risk telling you that," Kara said, holding his gaze firmly. Ideally, he would not get involved at all, never knowing what the Batarians had intended, or that she had stopped them. Then again, the ideal was to have Balak turn around and go home, which didn't seem likely to happen. "I realizing I'm in your jurisdiction here, and you could choose to make this difficult for me, but I'd rather have your cooperation."

"So far we've let you push us around with your borrowed authority, Shepard, but I'm drawing a line. You either explain yourself, or you leave. In a box, if you press me."

Kara closed her eyes, and smiled faintly. He was bluffing; a brazen assault on a Spectre would further divide the Alliance and the Council. Moreover, his slate-blue eyes lacked conviction. Like the scar ran down the right side of his face, easily removed by modern medicine, it was all about appearances; which of them was in control? "Don't threaten me, Steven. You're not very good at it."

"Fuck, Shepard, do you even realize the mess you've created? I've lost a lot of good men, and some fine ships, to pirates, all because of you. We're on the edge of war with the Batarians. And now you walk in here, god knows why, but I don't take orders from you, and you can goddamn get used to it."

"You found out that Cerberus was raiding our colonies and framing the Batarians, didn't you?" Kara asked, her voice dropping to a near-whisper.

Hackett paled. "What? How did you… ?"

"Once you know the narrative, guessing the pieces is easy enough," Kara said, briefing looking down at her hands, folded in her lap. "Admiral, the Batarians don't want war. Do you?"

"No. Of course not."

Kara focused her gaze on Hackett's eyes. It was an easy thing to say, and she didn't know if she believed him, but she had to take the opening. She didn't know if there would be another. "Then let me do my job."

"Shit," Hackett swore, meeting her gaze firmly. The moment lingered, until he finally sighed. "Fine, just… do what you need to."

Nodding, Kara closed the channel.

* * *

><p>If you like what you're reading, leave a review. And don't forget to check out the updated chapter three.<p> 


	31. Priorities

I'm going to let this chapter stand without comment. Thanks everyone for reading and reviewing.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE<br>_Priorities_

"Captain. Captain?"

Kara groaned, sliding her fingers across Liara's bare back. These sort of early morning interruptions were so much easier when she slept alone.

"Captain, we have an urgent message from the Council—"

"Thank you, Nasrin," Kara said, slapping the comm control. "Put it through down here."

The system beeped in confirmation as Kara rolled out of bed, leaving behind the warmth and comfort of her sleeping lover's embrace. "Councillors."

"Captain Shepard," Sparatus began bluntly. "What's your status?"

"Holding," she sighed, reaching for her shirt. "Admiral Hackett has agreed not to interfere, but Balak has yet to arrive."

He had less than three days, according to Kleth's information. Unfortunately, for all their resistance to cooperating with her, the STG had known nothing of Balak's plans, unless they were still holding out on her. She didn't want to contemplate that.

"That's unfortunate, the Turian continued. "The information you gave us about the Conduit being on Ilos was shared with Saren by an agent of his on my staff. She's been dealt with, but we have evidence that Saren is moving in on some leads."

"Are you familiar with the colony on Noveria, Kara?" Tevos asked.

She recognized the name, as the site of corporate, and sometimes government, black projects. It was owned and operated by a privately held corporation, as she recalled. "Somewhat."

"Then you may know that the planet is outside our jurisdiction, and that corporations rent out research labs for illegal projects. We try to keep track of what goes on there, and Spectres have been sent before, to close down the more dangerous projects. An Asari agent in the Noveria Development Corporation reported sighting one of Benezia's top aides at the Port Hanshan settlement, speaking to a representative of Binary Helix."

"You want me to investigate?"

"Immediately, Captain," Sparatus told her, raising his chin aggressively.

He knew, of course, what she was doing over Terra Nova. Adar would have told him. He must also have known that she wouldn't lightly back off. "As soon as I'm finished here."

"Spectre status is a privilege, Shepard. One which we grant you only so long as you recognize the authority of this Council. This isn't a debate, and I'm not willing to negotiate. You will do as you're told for once."

"If this is because I didn't inform you—"

"You have shown a casual disregard for our authority since the beginning, Shepard," the Turian insisted. "It's time we stopped accepting it."

Kara frowned, and shifted her attention to the Salarian. "And is this your opinion as well, Tellin?"

"We recognize the necessity of allowing field agents some flexibility," he replied, "but you've pointed out the dangers of too little oversight yourself. If the only censure we can apply that you will respect is the withdrawal of your Spectre status, it may become necessary. I believe such a step to be premature."

She turned her gaze on the Asari.

"I believe you understand the urgency of the situation," Adar said, softly.

Kara sighed. "Yes." She understood that if Balak didn't arrive soon, she would have to pass responsibility for stopping him to Admiral Hackett. Even if not ideal, at least it would get done. Balak would die spectacularly; the media would hear about it, and then the press. Within a week, the Alliance would be at war with the Hegemony, and millions would die.

Besides which, she couldn't conceive of what they might have found on Noveria that would lead Saren to Relay 112. Prothean ruins would be too old, and Sovereign would surely have access to any Reaper technology that could help. The Rachni hadn't left written records. Without the Relay, they could not reach Ilos, or the Conduit. She had time. "I'll investigate Binary Helix after I'm finished here," she repeated, staring at the Turian. "If that's not good enough, Varrus, then you should send someone else."

Sparatus' eyes narrowed, angrily, but he didn't have the support to press her. "No unnecessary delays, cap… _Kara_." He shut down the transmission.

"_Sometimes, love, I wonder that you've any allies left._"

Kara turned to see Liara setting her deactivated omnitool aside, just visible in the dim glow of the console. She turned the lights on low, while her hand was near the controls..

"_Good,_" Kara smiled. "_Then when this is done I can retire. Perhaps I can spend some time exploring Prothean ruins with a certain beautiful Asari_."

"_No_," Liara said, lying back with a sigh.

"_Is something wrong?_" Kara asked, moving to the Asari's side.

"_No_," Liara repeated, taking her lover's hand. "_It's just… you would hate that life. You're not solitary or patient enough for it. If I were the same _yashandril _you rescued from Therum, that would bother me intensely, but I'm not. I spent all my life learning about the Protheans, and now I know them in a way I could never have conceived of before. I don't want that life anymore, and I feel… lost, without it. If I'm not an archeologist, what am I?_"

"_I've asked myself the same question. Who is Kara Shepard, if she isn't a soldier?_"

Liara smiled. "_She is brilliant, and wise, and whatever she decides, she'll be amazing_."

Laughing, Kara shed her shirt, and turned off the lights. "_I would say the same about you_," she said, curling up in the Asari's arms. They had a few hours left, before her shift started, and a crew that would warn her if anything happened before then. The rhythms of Liara's body were intensely soothing, and a little arousing. She was content to lie there, enjoying the feeling, until she drifted off to sleep. For a while, it seemed like she would, though she clung to the moment, not really wanting it to end. Her lover's gentle fingers, brushing through her hair, assured her that her pleasure was shared.

"_Kara?_"

She started, drawn back from the edge of sleep by Liara's soft voice. "Hm?" she muttered, propping herself up on one elbow.

"_Have you ever…_" the Asari began, trailing off weakly.

Kara leaned over, and placed an encouraging kiss on Liara's lips. "_What is it?_"

Gently, Liara pushed her onto her back, and curled up against her. "_We've never talked about it, but I checked, just after you rescued me from Therum. You're going to grow old, and I'll lose you, and I feared that more than losing you on a mission. What you make me feel is worth it, though, and I know I'm still very young, but I want… I want to know that some part of you, of us, will go on—_"

"_Yes_," Kara smiled, pressing her lips against the Asari's forehead. She could guess what Liara meant, because she had the same thoughts. They were new to her, but natural enough for a human of her age. "_When we've stopped Sovereign, we'll talk about the future, and make all the decisions we need to. Agreed?_"

Liara's hand slid down her stomach, and began rubbing slow circles on her inner thigh. Kara released her breath in a soft, encouraging moan.

* * *

><p>As she had each morning for the last five days, Kara scanned the mess for a familiar pair of cool blue eyes, and silvery blond hair, and again failed to find them. Brynja was still avoiding her, and that worried her. Even if they were never more than friends, that was something she valued, and would fight for if necessary. It just wasn't the right time.<p>

"Kara. Join me."

Kara smiled softly, and sat beside her latest recruit. "Emily. You're adjusting to life with us?"

"Oh, yes," the young woman said. "The food tastes like cardboard, the showers are short, and I sleep in a coffin. I notice that you didn't advertise the whole daily life part of the Spectre Experience."

Kara laughed softly. Both enlisted and commissioned military personnel learned to deal with the less pleasant realities of life in space during basic training; the poor food being the worst, in her opinion. Although, Kirrahe had arranged to complement their store of Alliance dry rations with Asari and Salarian equivalents. Both were biochemically inoffensive to most humans, though their palates were less frequently compatible. "You're free to experiment with the food, as long as you keep away from the Turian rations, and if claustrophobia is a problem we can find a quiet corner for you sleep in. The showers, you'll just have to deal with."

"This ship is too small to have quiet corners," Emily sighed. "Especially with all the Salarians about. I'll deal, y'know?"

"Yes."

"So I thought, maybe my good friend Kara would sit with me and have a chat, help ward off the boredom I'm enduring on her behalf. Nope."

Kara sighed. First watch was about to start, the mess as busy as it ever got. The local news channel was running on the display, behind her, the male anchor's voice adding to the chatter of the crew. "There's too much I'm thinking on right now, Emily, and I'm not very good at chats. When things calm down. Until then, you can—"

"Captain, have you seen this?" asked Gregory Adams, leaning over the table to speak to her. He'd been standing towards the fore of the ship, just out of the way of the crew, watching the news. His gaze was still fixed on the display. Kara turned to see what had him so interested.

"… _expected to arrive in orbit in just under six hours. For the astronomy enthusiasts out there, Asteroid X57 is estimated to become visible to the naked eye at twenty-two thirty-seven, local time. While that's late afternoon here in the capital, observers on the other side of the planet can expect to find it at the following coordinates…_"

It was possible for an asteroid to become caught up in a planet's gravity, and achieve a stable orbit, naturally. Such things were impossibly rare in human timescales, but the news anchor had already moved on to other matters. She turned to Adams for answers.

"I guess they've been working quietly for months," he said, without prompting. "Fitting the asteroid with eezo cores and thrusters, that is. They started moving it a few days ago. Once they've got it in orbit, they're planning to hollow it out and turn it into an orbital transfer station. It seems like they got tired of waiting around for Parliament to approve funding."

"Thanks," Kara nodded, rising quickly, and hastening towards the command deck. She'd been looking for an attack vector, and somehow missed one that was staring her in the face. Without working out the precise numbers, it was safe to assume that the size of asteroid they'd need for a proper transfer station had far more mass than a loaded Kowloon freighter. A minor adjustment to its trajectory, made at the right time, and it would hit the Alliance supply base with enough force to demolish it completely, taking the capital city with it, and beginning an ice age make the planet unlivable for generations. Millions would die instantly.

She didn't know how she'd missed it. Maybe it hadn't come up in any of the reports, or she been too tired to notice. Terra Nova was currently seven hours away, for a ship following traffic laws; the asteroid would be closer, but by no more than an hour's travel. She had to assume that Balak had already arrived. "Sevis," she began, as soon as she left the stairs. "We need to be at Asteroid X57 in less than a hour."

"Captain?"

"They're moving it into orbit," Kara explained. "I think Balak is already there."

The Salarian nodded. His troubled expression suggested that he had reached the same conclusion about the possibilities. "We'll be there. I suggest a stealth approach."

The better to catch the Batarians off-guard, preventing a possible hostage situation. "I agree," she said softly.

* * *

><p>"… as you can see, each of the three thruster groups have their own local engineering station," Kara said, focusing the main display on one such group. The plasma thrusters were not capable of moving as massive as X57 at any great speed, even with the eezo net active, but they hadn't needed to. The trip from its orbit around Asgard to Terra Nova had taken several days already, at a maximum speed of about one-eighth c. They were now in the deceleration phase, preparing for final insertion at less than three kilometers per second. "X57's gravity well is too low for surface operations, but everything in place already is designed for expansion and integration into the final transfer station. The engineering stations are accessible through exterior airlocks, which will later become docking ports for passenger ships. Each squad will take control of one of these stations, and disable the control link with the command center."<p>

Orlanis shook her head. "If we try and dock the _Normandy_, we'll set off every alarm in the place."

"Which is why you'll be going outside. Jeff will bring the ship as close as he can, and you'll use magnetic grapples to cross the gap."

"Oh, hell," Ashley muttered, looking queasy at the thought. Like any other Alliance marine, she was trained for zero-gravity operations, but that didn't mean she had learned to like them. Wrex looked even less pleased, but there was something about Krogan anatomy that didn't handle weightlessness well.

Kara shook her head, concealing a smile by turning back to the display. "Orlanis, you'll take Kaliran and Valaris, and attack this thruster group, here. It's the best positioned to prevent impact with Terra Nova, so its capture is a priority. Garrus, you'll lead Ashley and Wrex in taking the second thruster group. Yana, the last group, with Auran and Lixandris."

"What if they have hostages?" Yana asked, frowning slightly.

"There was only a small engineering team onboard X57. My guess is, they've all been taken to a central location, so you shouldn't have to worry. If I'm wrong, use your own judgement," she replied, adding a firm gaze in Garrus' direction. "We have some time, yet, so don't be afraid to think before you go in. I want minimal casualties, and that includes Batarians."

"What?" Ashley said sharply, pushing away from from the wall. "These are terrorists, and you want us to what, talk them down? You're crazy."

"I'd recommend taking them by surprise. What matters is that they're stopped, not that they pay in blood. If that's a problem, you can stay here." The pieces were beginning to fall into place for her own plan to deal with Balak. Contrary to Kirrahe's assessment, she believed him to be a patriot, not a zealot; that he fought to protect his people, not because he hated humans, left her the opening she needed. Each surviving Batarian strengthened her position. "I know this puts you at greater risk, but it is important, and I'm asking you to make the effort. If this was just about saving Terra Nova, I'd let Admiral Hackett deal with it—he's got plenty of competent marines. The important difference isn't that we're better, or stronger, than them; it's the choices we make, and the risks we accept. We'll do more than save ten thousand lives, Ash; we'll prevent a war."

The dark-hair marine nodded, staring uncertainly at the floor. "Fine."

"While you're preparing to take over the thruster controls, I'll take the _Ke'val_ to the command center and provide a distraction. Sayuri, Liara, and Tali, you're with me. Once we're gone, the rest of you will begin deployment. You'll remain outside until Kirrahe signals the attack. Any questions?"

* * *

><p>Kara stepped out of the <em>ke'val<em>, into the base's second cargo bay. The external door was still open from their arrival, and empty of atmosphere, but they began to close soundlessly as she watched. She felt the vibration through the deck plates, as the seals locked in to place; an indicator on her helmet's display began to flash, registering the change as the ventilation system began to repressurize the room.

"I wish you'd tell us what you're planning," Liara said, her voice tense, as she followed Kara out.

It was time for that, she supposed. Right about now, the _Normandy_ was circling the asteroid, dropping off teams at the thruster control stations. According to the plans, rough tunnels cut through the rock connected them to the command center, later to be finished and expanded, with the all the things made a transfer station function. "You and I are going to meet with Balak, before the shooting starts. Sayuri and Tali will stay here."

"So you really were serious about talking the terrorists down," Tali said. "If anyone else suggested this, I'd think they were crazy."

"Maybe I am," Kara sighed, "but it's the best plan I can think of."

Liara nodded slowly. "You take too many risks," she said quietly, "but… well, at least I can watch your back."

"I put all systems on standby," Sayuri said, appearing at the _ke'val_ hatch. "It'll heat up quick if we need it."

"Defend yourselves, but don't fire unless you're attacked. This going to be hard enough without Balak thinking they're under attack. There's one final thing," Kara sighed. Liara wasn't going to like hearing it, but circumstances required that she plan for all contingencies. "Tali, if I don't make it back, Orlanis will secure the asteroid . I need you to check the Batarian freighter, and make sure there's nothing on it linking their government to this attack."

The Quarian shook her head, and shifted uncomfortably on her feet. "You'll be fine. You always are."

Respect and trust were necessary part of what she did, but Kara sometimes felt like Tali had drifted into hero-worship, and this despite having committed the high crimes of hijacking the _Normandy_ and negotiating with the Geth, and maybe ending the young Pilgrim's coming of age journey in exile. She didn't want or deserve that kind of admiration, and it wasn't healthy for the admirer. Yet here she was, lining up another reckless charge at another flailing windmill, which would do nothing to change her image. "I'm not invulnerable, Tali," she smiled.

The pressure indicator on her HUD changed from yellow to white, and she unfastened her mask. She didn't know what she could say or do to change the Quarian's opinion of her, but it would have to wait for another time. "Let's go, Liara."

* * *

><p>Kara approached the pair of Batarians with her arms held out, and her pistol holstered. It was the only way to avoid getting shot on sight, though some people would call her insane. She did take the basic precaution of setting up biotic feedback in the weapons they kept trained on her. "I want to talk to your leader."<p>

"What the hell…" scowled the meaner looking of the two. "I thought we'd smoked all you pyjaks out."

"Kara Shepard. Spectre. I'm here to end this peacefully."

"That's funny, coming from your wretched species," he snorted. "Boss'll want t'ask you some questions, so yeah, I'll take you to him. Do anything stupid, and I'll paint the walls with your blood. You and your friend."

"Kara…" Liara breathed, a tense hand clasping her arm.

"Liara," Kara said firmly. "We're going to get through this."

"Hey, boss," the Batarian said, switching on his headset. "This human and an Asari turned up at my post. She claims to be that Spectre, Shepard. Yeah. No, I didn't ask. Yeah."

Balak, not being a fool, was drawing the same conclusions she would have; that her appearance indicated the presence of her ship, and that she would have prepared some attempt to retake the asteroid. What he didn't know was the number and composition of her forces. He would talk, in the hopes of learning more, and to buy time for his second to finalize their defenses. If she couldn't talk him down quickly enough, he would certain try to kill, or capture, her.

"Right. Balak's in the command center," the Batarian said. "Now move."

The interior of the base was similar to any other Alliance construction; grey corridors, lit in harsh white by panels on the ceiling, just wide enough to move cargo through. The passengers sections would be more lively, when they were finished, with bars, restaurants, and gift shops. At Terra Nova's present size, its traffic volume could require three or four hundred permanent personnel, most of them shifting cargo between freighters and dedicated atmospheric lifters. If they followed the same pattern as the Council races' colonies, that would eventually shift, as the world below became more self-sufficient, rather than trading food and resources for tech produced on the homeworld.

Having an orbital transfer station had several advantages, in that regard. Most _Kowloon_-class freighters were equipped with cheap mass effect cores, which lacked the power to allow for atmospheric entry on garden worlds, and the larger _Athabasca_-class relied entirely on expensive shuttles or outside support. An orbital facility reduced transport costs, increasing trade, tourism, and immigration, all of which provided a boost to the local economy. With the additional tax revenue, they could increase spending on the groundside infrastructure necessary for an industrial economy.

The command center was located on the level above the dock. Through a bank of windows, she could see the back end of the Batarian's freighter, which had gotten past the _Normandy_ by the simple precaution of changing the registry number. That was a difficult process by design, and something she would have expected the STG to know about.

"Captain Shepard," said a cold Batarian voice. Kara turned to the source, an armored, tired looking male, sitting at the elevated command station. An assault rifle stood, propped up against the side of the console, but he was unarmed. In addition to their escort, a third Batarian stood near the door, and he watched her warily. "I'd ask how you found out about our operation, but that would be pointless."

Kara shrugged. "I was in the area, Balak."

Balak grunted. "Back you to your post, Tasek. If this is a diversion, I want to know instantly."

"Yes, sir," their escort nodded, and retreated from the room. At present, the command center was unfinished, with just a few stations, and lots of loose cables.

"Where's your ship, Shepard?"

"Nearby," Kara said, leaning against the nearest console. She pulled off her helmet, inspecting it idly. "I haven't called in the Fourth Fleet, yet, but you must realize that this is futile. With so many lives at stake, they won't stop for hostages. They'll blow the airlocks, and come in while your soldiers are gasping for air. Those of you that survive will get show trials, probably with nicely magnanimous life imprisonment sentences, which will make a nice justification for war on both sides. I don't think either of us want that."

"What I want is for you bloody humans to back off. The Council may've scorned us, but at least they gave us space," Balak stated. "You humans, if you don't like it or can't fuck it, you have to destroy it."

"That's not fair," Kara replied, though she could see why he might have drawn that conclusion. "We both know this is about borders, and that how you look and what you think is an excuse. It appeals to the people, but what we really want is your worlds and their resources."

Stepping down from the command station, Balak walked over to her. "So what if you're right," he said. "We still have to fight back. I intend to die here, so you can either shoot me, or leave me be."

"There is a third choice." Kara set her helmet aside, and detached her omnitool from her arm. She set it up on the console, loading the set of files Tali had helped her secure, just after her last conversation with Admiral Hackett.

Balak's headset, necessary for him to deal with the Alliance computer system installed on the asteroid, provided him with a translation as he scanned the display. "What am I looking at?"

"Proof that Cerberus operatives have conducted a series of raids against human colonies in the last six weeks, using Batarian armor designs, and the raids have Alliance support. They've only come in recently, and I'm willing to had them over."

The Batarian commander turned away, moving to lean against the back of the command consoles. The recent revelation, again at her instigation, of Defense Committee support for Cerberus had shaken the Alliance; this would almost certainly split it, sparking revolts across the colonies. It didn't matter that only a few people in the Alliance Intelligence Division had known the full truth, the weight of official policy had supported their actions, by deliberately leaving colonies vulnerable, and through relentless demonization of the supposed enemy.

"_Satharii_, Kara," Liara hissed, leaning over the console to whisper in her ear. "This is insane. The Alliance could have you shot for this."

"She's right, you know," Balak said, not turning around. Despite their extra pair of eyes, Batarian visual acuity was not all that impressive, but they did have excellent hearing. "You must want something in return."

"Proof that this attack was endorsed by the Hegemony," Kara said quietly. "And you."

Balak sighed. His attack on Terra Nova wasn't something born of hopeless and depression, but of anger and conviction, and to have shaken that was no mean feat. She needed him in that position, though, questioning how he could best serve his people. "You have a reputation for treating my people fairly," he said, "or I'd shoot you and be done with it. I'll still need a closer look at the documents. Give me eighteen minutes."

"And I'll want to see the proof I asked for," Kara replied, pulling a data module from one of her pockets and trading for her omnitool. They were too short on time for any real confirmation, and he didn't have access to outside resources, but that didn't matter as much as the gesture. "I'll also want to see the hostages."

"Kalath will take you below," Balak said, gesturing at the guard on the door.

* * *

><p>According the X57's chief engineer, Simon Atwell, four of his ten-person crew were missing. They had probably fought back, during the Batarian's initial assault, and died for it, but Simon had referred hopefully to a few crawlspaces in which they might have hidden. The rest had been kept alive, secured in an empty storage room on a lower level. Balak had probably thought to use them to delay an Alliance attempt to retake the asteroid, futile as it might have been, or it might have been simple instinct, to not kill anyone who could be enslaved. If it had been a matter of days or weeks, he might have rethought the decision, but with just a few hours before everyone died, it just didn't matter. Only, it made it easier to justify her decision, whatever his reasons.<p>

"Take us back to Balak," she told her escort, who led them off.

Liara fell in beside her. "Do you really think this will work, Kara?"

There were so many factors involved, she doubted that anyone could say for certain. "I don't know. Maybe I'm crazy for thinking peace is possible at all. Maybe I'm taking too much on myself."

"I'm certain your government will say so," the Asari replied. "I think the Council will, too. I like that you're willing to try."

"This could mean peace, Liara," Kara said. "If both sides have to back off. Maybe they will learn to trust each other. I don't know. They could just brush it off."

Wordlessly, the young Asari took her hand, her lips curving into a soft smile, its beauty undiminished by the helmet that bracketed her face.

Kara breathed deeply, and smiled back. She trusted Liara like she hadn't anyone in years, and far from being a weakness, she felt like their relationship gave her strength. Completion, as though a part of her that she hadn't even missed had finally returned from Elysium. All the years in between, of playing the aloof commander, seemed to fall away. They walked the rest of the way in silence, not needing to say more.

* * *

><p>The electronic document certainly carried the official seal of the Hegemony, complete with a confirmation code. She could have it confirmed, with a little time, but they didn't have it, and the orders themselves sounded authentic. "This will do," she said, nodding Balak. One set of dark eyes tracked her, while the other still focused on the information she'd given him. "I need your decision."<p>

"The documents are fine," he said, straightening. "What I don't understand is, why?"

"We're goading each other into war, Balak. Any peace has to begin by recognizing that, and I hope force that out. The Alliance will put you on trial for this attack, and use it as a symbol. They'll wave this evidence about as proof that Batarians aren't to be trusted, and try to make you out to be the villains. Your government will counter with that," she said, pointing at the display in front of him. Evidence that would cast doubt on the source of any alleged Batarian attacks. "I'll make sure that copies find their way to the Alliance press, to counter any claims of forgery. Both sides have to back off; maybe they'll even sit down and talk."

"And if this magical plan of your fails?"

"Then war," Kara shrugged, "but that's what happens if we do nothing. You were willing to die for victory, Balak. What will you risk for peace?"

The Batarian sighed. "I thought about what you said before, and you're right, this mission has already failed. You're promising my troops safe passage out of Alliance space?"

"The _Normandy_ will escort them to the Relay," Kara confirmed. She liked that part least of all; they were slavers and killers, and she despised them, but she accepted the necessity of it.

"There no benefit to letting anyone else die here," he said, "and I still think this will end in war, but you have a deal. Charn, tell everyone to fall back to the freighter."

"—but Captain," the shorter, bulkier Batarian said, advancing on his commander.

Whatever his argument might have been, Balak cut it off with a firm blow to Charn's jaw. "You'll do as I say," he said coldly.

Kara activated her headset. "Kirrahe, tell the teams that the asteroid has been secured. They're to come in, and hold position at the control stations, until further orders. Bring the _Normandy_ into the second docking bay."


	32. Exile

Couple of notes this week; I uploaded an expansion of Ch. 25 'The Wanderer'. The segments on Sur'Kesh and Palaven now include some real insight into their natives species, and I'd seriously recommend that you have another look.

Second, Ch. 3 has been updated with a reference to the fate of the beacon. Thanks to Cellester for noting that I'd left it as 'recovered' in the second chapter, and needed to offer some closure. It is now revealed to be non-functional, and in the hands of Council researchers, during the opening conversation with Tali.

4-5: Edited to be more exciting! Maybe. Personally, I think the root of the problem is the lack of consoles exploding in a shower of sparks… that was a joke.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO<br>_Exile_

"_Normandy_, this is the Captain Erika Niyazov, _SSV Pyongyang._ Under the authority of the Alliance, you are ordered to stand down and surrender your escort into our custody."

Kara sighed. The trip from the asteroid to the Relay had taken two hours, more than enough time for X57's surviving engineers to contact the Fourth Fleet, and explain what had happened. If he knew the full extent of what she'd done, then he couldn't let the Batarians escape with the data, but this seemed more like a test of her resolve.

"Sorry, Erika," she replied. She was going to pull this one once too often, and soon, if she kept going up against the Alliance. "Under the Spectre Authorization Act, I am claiming emergency jurisdiction in a matter of Galactic Stability. We are proceeding to the Relay. I promised them safe passage, and they will have it, even if I have to defend them from you."

"You wouldn't dare," Erika scoffed. "You're bluffing."

The _Pyongyang_ was a light cruiser, about three hundred meters long, not a ship of the line like a six-hundred meter battlecruisers, but a picket ship or patrol leader, designed to engage groups of frigates or fighters with minimal escort. Taking one out in a frigate required daring and opportunity, which did not easily present itself in one-on-one combat. With the _Normandy_ trying to protect a vulnerable freighter, it would be impossible. The tactical display indicated that their range was ten thousand kilometers and closing; a light cruiser could reliably target the freighter at about eight, while the _Normandy_ could close to four and a half. "I'm not bluffing."

Kara switched to an internal channel. "Jeff, bring us head to head with that cruiser, as close as you dare, and keep us between them and the Batarians."

"Aye, cap'n," he acknowledged. "Hey, you know how you always have to pee right when things get tense? I'm getting that now."

From her position at the rear of the command deck, Kara could see Sayuri turn the copilot's seat to face the helmsman. "I did _not_ want to know that, Joker. I have to sit in that chair."

"What?" he protested. "I'm holding it in."

Kara shook her head, and reconnected the channel to the _Pyongyang_. She couldn't run, and there was no chance of winning in a fight. That left talking her way out, but she reason was her preferred weapon, and probably her strongest, in most situations. "Their leader is already in custody, Erika. He's agreed to stand trial, in exchange for the freedom of his followers. No one else has to die today."

"You don't make deals with slavers and terrorists, Shepard. I don't know what part of you is so twisted up that you don't see that, but I'm not going to let it stop me. Lieutenant, charge barriers to full power, and bring the for'ard cannon online. Last chance, _captain_."

Kirrahe nodded at her, confirming the spike in power aboard the cruiser. The freighter crossed the eight thousand kilometer mark. The _Pyongyang_ could fire at any time, or wait for them to close further. A cautious officer would wait, and deal with the _Normandy_ first. She closed her eyes, and nodded back. Red status lights flashed all along the command deck, and throughout the ship, accompanied by blaring klaxons. They were running out of time. "I risked the lives of my crew today, Captain, for a slender chance at peace. You're risking yours to start a war. Which one of us is twisted?"

"There's no peace with monsters. You either surrender, or you fight."

In Kara's universe, there were no foes with which reconciliation and peace were impossible. Not the Geth, or the Batarians, and not even the Reapers. People like Erika were more dangerous than Balak; they were the ones who thought up plans like Cerberus', to raid human colonies and frame the Batarians, because people were blind, and needed help to see the truth. The cost didn't matter, that they became the mirror image of the enemy they fought, because they believed their cause to be just, and that they could do no wrong in pursuit of it.

Even believing that her cause was just, Kara hesitated, but with the seconds counting down to the critical moment, she could think of no other way but to fight. "The irony, Captain, is that you've given me the same choice," she sighed, and cut the channel. They were closing on four thousand kilometers from the _Pyongyang_, and the freighter on seven and a half. The cruiser's escorts were hanging back, perhaps more reluctant to engage an agent of the Council, or one of their own; however they saw her. Whatever their reasons, they made her job significantly easier, or at least possible.

The _Normandy_'s axial cannon didn't have much power, compared even to a standard recon frigate, and could pound away at a cruiser's barriers for days with no success. A smart admiral didn't risk an expensive and valuable recon asset by throwing it into battle, after all. However, it did carry a limited supply of the Alliance's new 'Javelin' paired disruptor torpedoes, slow, guided munitions with an eezo payload. Instead of a conventional explosion, they generated a chaotic mass effect field on impact, sheering apart armor and, hopefully, barrier projectors, leaving a hole in both layers of defenses. The second torpedo, carefully timed to follow the first, generated conflicting fields, multiplying the damage by a factor of four through a mass effect detonation. If only one of the pair made it through the target's defenses, it would at least do partial damage.

Normally, wings of fighters would try to overwhelming the target's GARDIAN lasers, launching their torpedoes in waves, half a kilometer or less from their target, but the _Normandy_ was alone, and couldn't afford a second attack run. They would have to launch from a hundred meters at most, to give a torpedo even a chance of getting through, and it would have to be a precise shot.

The first shot came without warning, just as crossed the three thousand kilometer mark, and impacted their barriers squarely, almost draining the _Normandy_'s capacitors. Reacting quickly, Jeff banked the ship out of the line of fire, and just in time to evade a second round. Despite the chaotic path the _Normandy_ wove on the tactical display, rapidly accelerating as it did, one hardly felt the changes of momentum inside the ship, as though the galaxy were moving around them. They were, with the mass effect core at full power, to aid in their maneuvers, essentially massless. That carried its own risks, though, as any impact against the hull would split the ship open, and send it spinning out of control.

"Garrus, load the torpedoes," she ordered. She isolated a position on the _Pyongyang_'s underside, about twenty meters from its bow and forwarded it to the Turian's station. There were only a small number of potential targets, if they were to disable the ship in a single shot. The most obvious was the command deck, where Captain Niyazov stood in the center of the CIC, shouting orders at her officers. Its observation windows would be covered by armored screens, but it would only take a small breach to vent the atmosphere, leaving the command staff to suffer a painful death by vacuum exposure. The second option was the primary mass accelerator cannon. They could attempt to bend or block the muzzle,

The _Kyoto_, where she had served as XO for four months, had been a ship of the same class, and Kara had made a point of knowing its systems. There was a key control junction for the eezo coils of the primary accelerator there, potentially vulnerable to a pair of Javelins, though the target would be less than half a meter across. "Here's your target."

"You're crazy, Shepard. That kind of precision strike is—"

Their barriers deflected a second shot, not a direct hit, but enough to finish draining their capacitors. Reserve power would protect them from the odd bit of space debris, but they could not survive another hit.

"If you've got a better idea, tell me now," she snapped. One thousand kilometers and closing, with every second that passed making them an easier target. She truly hated space battles; they were so detached, silent and dark, as though they were playing a sterile game. When reality managed to break in, it did so with sudden and lethal force. Loud noises and flashing lights were the Alliance's means of bringing tension to the moment, stirring up adrenaline and boosting reaction times. While the lights still blinked, the klaxons had gone silent.

"Uh, no," the Turian grunted. "I'll get on that, then."

"Captain—those frigates are breaking off," Kirrahe noted. "They're going after the Batarians."

"We have to finish this before we go after them," Kara frowned. She almost ordered Garrus to hit the _Pyongyang_'s command deck, instead. So much hate, and with the poorest of reasons, she would have felt a certain amount of satisfaction at Niyazov's death, but it was the most obvious target, and that alone made impractical—and a workable diversion. "Jeff, I want them to think we're targeting their CIC. Let's see if we can't make them expose themselves."

Two hundred kilometers. They were close enough that the light cruiser could no long turn fast enough to keep up with the _Normandy_, as Joker maneuvered above them. Kara transferred power from the mass effect core to the capacitors, hoping that the barriers could handle the _Pyongyang_'s light turreted guns for long enough to get in, and to escape.

"They're rolling," Kirrahe pointed out, "trying to keep us below them."

"Right where we want to be," Kara smiled. "Stay with them until the last possible moment, Jeff."

When they got within fifty kilometers, the _Pyongyang_'s light guns started targeting them. Their slugs were small, slow, and inaccurate, but they did what they were meant to, draining the _Normandy_'s capacitors of the scant reserves they'd built up. They couldn't afford to keep dancing around. "Now, Jeff!"

The _Normandy_ swerved, closing the last few kilometers in less than five seconds. GARDIAN lasers raked across the hull, little flashes of light on her display, boiling off the outer layer of armor, but they were less than a hundred meters away, and moving too fast for the turrets to track, so they didn't have time to break through.

Jeff swung the ship around, bringing them to within fifty meters of the _Pyongyang_'s underbelly, and aiming their nose at its hull. With the way he was flying, it was difficult to remember that the cruiser was just three times their length, but he danced around them as if they were a dreadnought. Now, hanging in space at relatively low speeds, they did not have time for hesitation.

"Garrus," she said softly. "Fire!"

The Turian had not taken his eyes off the weapons controls, and paused as the two ships continued to drift past each other. He tapped the fire control. "Torpedoes away."

"Get us out of here, Jeff!" she ordered sharply.

The _Normandy_ shuddered, cutting off the pilot's response. That had been an impact on the hull, and when Kara checked, she found their barriers down. How much damage could their armor withstand, scored as it was by GARDIAN fire? They yawed hard, before Jeff throttled up on the ship's antiproton engines, hopefully giving them the extra velocity needed to escape. The antimatter reaction produced a large amount of heat, in addition to thrust, and that carried an extra benefit; the chance of obscuring the _Pyongyang_'s targeting systems for a few precious seconds, while the torpedoes were still in flight.

The _Normandy_ itself continued to take fire, and they were far too close for any of it to miss. Kara shut down their barriers on all but the stern section, in the hopes of protecting their vulnerable engines, but that was a slim hope, as the _Pyongyang_ moved to keep them in range of its light weapons.

The first torpedo struck the cruiser, represented by a shimming blue sphere on the tactical display. The second followed a moment later, multiplying the sphere's size and intensity. From what she could tell, they had both hit within the target area, shearing open the outer layer of the _Pyongyang_'s armor, but it was impossible to know if the damage had penetrated deep enough to accomplish what they set out to. They could only wait, and hope, until the distance between the two ships. If they had succeeded, the mass effect corridor set up inside the ship's mass accelerator would fail during the firing sequence, with much the same effect as disrupting a handgun with her biotics. Depending upon how well the maintenance crew had kept the ship up, they could find themselves dead in space and waiting for rescue, or just without their main gun for a day or two. Of course, an alert XO would spot the damage, and warn the captain—fixing the control junction would take an hour at most, _if_ they didn't try and use it first.

What they had managed to do was breach the _Pyongyang_'s barriers, causing the cruiser to break off pursuit. Kara breathed a sigh of relief when the _Normandy_ left range of its light guns. They would find out shortly if its main cannon was offline as well, leaving only the two frigates for her to deal with. They were the assault variation of the class, one hundred and fifty meters long, with a main gun that ran most of their length, designed to hunt frigates, and vulnerable larger ships, in major space battles. The _Normandy_ couldn't match them for firepower, and torpedoes were no use against anything so small. Besides which, their barriers were at full, and hers were beginning to recharge.

The best she could hope to do was hold them off until the Batarians could reach the relay. As something of a surprise, the barriers on their freighter were still holding strong, as if they had loaded some of the cargo modules with spare capacitors. If so, they had shown some foresight—or maybe Balak had not intended for all his crew to die there. Maybe that was why he had kept X57's engineers alive.

"Captain, the cruiser just tried to fire," Kirrahe noted. "Parts of the ship are losing power."

"The _Pyongyang_ is putting out a general distress call, captain," Brynja announced, over the comm. "It sounds like half their systems blew out when they tried to fire, including the gravity net. It, uh, doesn't sound like Captain Niyazov likes weightlessness."

On the tactical display, she could see that the two assault frigates had broken off their assault on the freighter, heading back to render assistance. She took a deep breath, and ran her hand through her hair. "Stand down combat alert. Resume our escort of the Batarians."

Kara stepped down from the command station, and headed up the bridge. Gravity was considered an essential life support system, on par with light and air, all of which were heavily shielded, and on separate circuits. If it had failed, then one of the primary relay boxes must have taken damage, but any power surge in a weapons subsystem should never have gotten past the local breaker. Someone had messed up badly. It happened, she knew, and she didn't blame the captain—personnel were generally an XO's responsibility.

"Garrus," she smiled, touching the Turian's shoulder. "Nice shooting."

"Thanks, but next time I decide to follow a Spectre anywhere, remind me to stay home. We never should've been able to get that close."

"I agree. Either chance favors the bold, or—"

"You've got the best damn pilot in the fleet," Jeff grinned, swinging his chair around. "And, as much as I'd like to take all the credit, the best ship as well."

"I don't know about best," Kara said, "but you're certainly in the running. That was some amazing flying."

The pilot laughed. "Yeah. Hey, maybe you could put me up for a medal or something. Whatever the Council's got, and maybe a nice, cushy posting in the Asari navy when this is all over? 'Cuz the Alliance isn't gonna want us back, not after that."

"No," she sighed. It was a line she hadn't wanted to cross, and she worried about the immediate consequences as well as the long-term. "Anyone not on duty can go. Brynja, would you get the Batarian captain on the comm?"

The blond turned her head, and nodded firmly. "Yes, ma'am."

Kara walked across the aisle, and sat next to her operations officer. Garrus nodded as he passed, on his way to the crew deck; Sayuri frowned, brown eyes evading Kara's, as she too went off to relax. Both their shifts started in about an hour. "So, did I do the right thing?"

"Captain Niyazov didn't give you much choice," Brynja said, turning to face her, "but I'm not sure you should've put her in that position at all. So, I guess I don't know. Charn in on the line."

Kara frowned. Turning to face the console. "What's your status, Charn?"

"We took a beating, but they never got through our barriers. We shouldn't have any trouble making it to Hegemony space."

Thankfully, disruptor torpedoes were expensive, and not to be wasted on defenseless freighters. "Good. Let's get out of here, before the Alliance sends more ships."

"We just sent our instructions to the Relay." The Batarian sighed, and made a soft gurgling noise of embarrassment. "Shepard… most of us figured you just hand us over if things went badly. I can guess what that cost you, and I just wanted to say thanks."

Kara shook her head. Any cost would fall more heavily on her crew than on her; Earth and the Alliance had never really been her home, but it was for most of them. "Just don't let it be for nothing."

"I'll do what I can," he said. "Look, the Relay is ready for us. Good luck out there."

Standing, Kara made her way up to the bow. Jeff had opened the viewports, but they were too far away to see anything but a flash to blue light along the Relay, as the freighter disappeared. "Let's get the hell out of this place," she sighed. "Take us to the Pax system."

"Aye, cap'n," the pilot replied.

* * *

><p>Four hours laters, when Hackett's call came in, Kara was sitting in the her quarters, in the dark. She didn't move from her bunk; she didn't want to look him the eye. "Admiral. How's the <em>Pyongyang<em>'s crew."

"Embarrassed, mostly. There were a few burns, when the systems blew out, but no deaths. I didn't think you'd be crazy enough to take on a cruiser, Shepard. I should've sent the _Shasta_."

"You didn't have time," Kara replied. So Erika had just been following orders to stop the Batarians at any cost. Hackett knew about the files, then.

"No. Dammit, Shepard, what am I supposed to do with this mess? Everyone on Terra Nova wants to declare this 'Kara Shepard' day; they seem to think you're some kind of hero. The Justice MInistry is already drafting charges of treason and sedition. I'd be inclined to have you taken out and shot. Either way, the next time you enter Alliance space, you won't be leaving it for a good long while."

Kara let a slow breath out in the darkness. Despite everything, it still bothered her to hear it said, and more than she expected. She was officially an exile, now. A traitor. The Council would have no choice but to censure her, and would probably strip her of her status. "Whatever you may think of what I did, Steven, I'm giving you a chance at peace. Take it."

"Of all the—fuck it, Shepard. You really are the most arrogant, self-righteous—"

"The Intelligence Division conspired with a terrorist organization, with the intent of starting a war, and you were going to hide that fact to protect the Alliance. That's a betrayal of all the people under your command. You're asking them to fight and die for a lie, while their real enemies are standing behind you. So what if I let the Batarians in on the truth. Why don't you think on that for a while and get back to me, because I really don't have time for this conversation."

Kara closed the channel, and sighed into the darkness.

* * *

><p>Kara sat on the edge of the holoprojector in the <em>Normandy<em>'s comm room, scanning the faces of her fourteen remaining human crewmembers. A pair of camera drones hovered overhead, one focused on her, and the other on the crowd. If official charges really were being prepared against her, she decided that heading them off with an explanation was her best course of action, starting with her crew.

"I, uh, I can understand the treason charge," Ashley said, breaking the silence that had lingered for almost a minute, after Kara finished speaking. Maria and Sepehr nodded along.

Brynja laughed bitterly. "Yeah, Ash. Let's ignore that the real traitors here are the ones who helped those Cerberus butchers attack their own people."

"Their crimes don' justify her passing classified files to the enemy," Sepehr noted flatly. "Tha's espionage at best."

"Would you be happier if she'd passed them to Emily, here?" Karin asked. "The Hegemony would get the same information, only second hand, so I don't see that it makes much difference."

"Espionage and sedition," the Iranian engineer confirmed, "No' treason."

"In that case, shouldn't the standard whistleblower protections apply?" Ehigha asked.

Fiona shook her head. "Nah. Those apply only ta them with authorized access. She ain't got that kind of clearance."

The junior doctor shook his head, frowning slightly. "What about Spectre status? They're supposed to be above the law."

"Within limits," Karin said. "She didn't _ask_ for those files, she stole them."

"Les' not forget, none of us have seen these files," Maria interrupted. "We're supposed to take her word on their contents?"

"If you don't even trust her that much, Corine," Brynja snapped, "what are you still doing here?"

"Brynja," Kara said, softly, meeting the young officer's blue eyes.

The blond sighed, and looked away. "Sorry, Maria. I wouldn't mind seeing them for myself, either."

"They're available to anyone wants them," Kara continued, "including you, Emily. I'd like to see them released to the public alongside the Hegemony's announcement, not before."

"Sure. A few weeks won't make much difference."

"So, exile, huh?" Jeff said. "I dunno if I'm ready for that one. I mean, I haven't thought about my little sister in months, and suddenly I want to see her again? There's some irony for you."

"We've all got friends back there," Sayuri agreed. "My parents are on Earth, and I'm terrified of what they must think of me, but I've said before that what the Alliance did to Kara, they'd have to do to me. She's never given me reason to doubt that decision."

"You make 'er sound like the second coming, Aoki," Fiona laughed. "Or the reincarnated Buddha, but I ain't got your faith. I was taught to question everything, and I'll not make an exception of 'er."

"That's not funny," Maria scowled; she was a practicing Catholic, as Kara recalled, who still listened to the weekly sermons sent out to service members.

Sayuri shook her head. "It's far out, anyway. I'm just saying, I've seen what she's willing to risk, and for what. She could've died today, while the rest of us were safely out of it."

"Except for dancing with that cruiser," Jeff pointed out.

"That wasn't her idea, and you know it."

"I realize Captain Niyazov didn't give us much choice, but I didn't—"

"How are you holding up, Kara?" Brynja inquired softly, touching her hand.

"I'm still standing," she replied. "Still fighting. This wasn't one of my better days."

"You shouldn't stand here, listening to them bicker," the blond said, frowning at her comrades. "Let's take a walk."

Kara nodded, smiling despite herself. The silence between them had been uncomfortable, an extra thing for her to worry about, and she wanted it resolved.

"Come on, then," Brynja said, nodding towards the door.

Pushing off the projector, Kara followed the blond out, down to the crew deck, and into her cabin, neither of them saying a word on the short trip.

Alone, Brynja settled on the bed, and closed her eyes. "I've been practicing this conversation for days, you know? And now that I'm here, I hardly know what to say. I'm sorry for avoiding you, Kara."

"Say what you feel," Kara said, taking Brynja's hand as she sat down beside her. "That's more important to me that anything we might do together."

"That's sweet," the blond smiled, "and my heart says to try. I love you, and I want everything you're willing to share."

Kara sighed, and settled her head on Brynja's shoulder. "That means a lot to me," she said softly. "I was afraid that after today—"

The younger woman smiled, and silenced her with a soft kiss. "Well, I've never been more terrified," she admitted, "but you made the right choice."

For the moment, perhaps, but there would be consequences for the Alliance, and she couldn't foresee them all. Civil war, maybe, and would she take sides? Or did she concern herself with the Reapers? They were questions that could wait, she supposed. For now, she contented herself with enjoying the warmth of Brynja's arms around her.

* * *

><p>Thanks for reading, and leave a review if you're so inclined.<p> 


	33. Interlude III

Feels like a strange chapter, to me. Bits of everything. Eh. I had kind of hoped to get on with Noveria, but it just didn't feel right, so here's another Interlude.

In response to a critical review from NonSolus, I've made some changes to the previous chapter. I think they're a technical improvement; I'm not so sure they add tension. I did consider drastic measures-hull breach!-but ultimately didn't feel like it fit.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE<br>_Interlude III  
><em>

"I don't know if it's because of good luck or Joker's piloting, Shepard, but we've been over every system on the ship," Gregory Adams told her, turning away from the primary engineering readout. "Critical systems took some damage when they broke through the armor, but nothing we can't fix. They breached one of the coolant lines for the hull refrigeration system, and we vented about half our supply."

"So our stealth systems are offline," Kara frowned. They had made occasional use of the _Normandy_'s stealth systems, on Therum and Virmire in particular, and she certainly worried that it would be necessary if they ever made it to Ilos. Internal refrigeration systems supercooled a heat-absorbent liquid, which was circulated through a capillary-like network of tubes on the inner surface of the hull, cooling the exterior surface and carrying the excess heat back to specially designed sinks. The system foiled thermal sensors that were effective at long and short ranges. The radar-resistant armor, by contrast, worked primarily against medium-range active scanners.

"I'm afraid so. The coolant is the same stuff we use in the reactor, and easy enough to get ahold of, and the lines are easily repaired. I can't promise much without getting a proper look at the hull, but we might be able to get things working well enough to hide us on a long range scan, but that's it."

Without having the armor replaced, they would show up on radar anyway, but the alloy used in its construction was still classified as top secret, and not available outside the high security shipyards of the Alliance and the Turian Empire. As the Alliance was unlikely to repair the ship for her, and Palaven was a week and a half away, she simply had to accept the new limits on their capabilities. It left open the possibility that, to prevent a war between Earth and Kar'shan, she had sacrificed her ability to stop Saren from bringing about the return of the Reapers, and perhaps doomed the galaxy. She ignored the thought, because it didn't matter; she would fight either way, to her end or his. "Anything else?"

"A third of our barrier emitters are down. Not enough to compromise field integrity, but that doesn't leave us with much redundancy. Joker's been complaining that the starboard-fore maneuvering thruster is down, as well."

The _Normandy_'s wings did not provide lift, but they were a stabilizing element in atmospheric flight, particularly necessary with the ship's mass reduced to ease descent. They also provided a mount for rotatable maneuvering thrusters, both fore and aft, used to adjust roll angle and pitch. They couldn't land safely without all four. "You'll have to make repairs over Noveria. Check and make sure the hull can survive the landing, while you're out there."

"Of course, sir."

"I don't get down here very often, Greg," Kara said, smiling softly, "but I know how hard you've had to work, and I know it hasn't been easy."

"I'd say it should've been impossible. The design team did good work, but there's always something that works better on paper than in the field, you know?" He laughed softly, turning back to the mass effect core. "Tali and I had some heated discussions in that first week, but let me tell you, she's the one who kept us flying. I learned more about making do with what you've got from that Quarian than I did in twenty-five years of service."

Kara stepped up beside him, leaning against the rail. "That may be true, but she couldn't have done it without your knowledge of this ship, and Alliance technology. Or if you hadn't trusted her."

"I guess it's kinda trite, but we all need someone to trust us, from time to time. She really looks up to you."

"And you," Kara replied, touching her fingers to her temple. The buzzing in her head was beginning to grow into a proper headache. "I'll let you get on with it," she said, retreating from the deck.

* * *

><p>"Kara, I've been thinking."<p>

Liara had, unusually, joined her in the CIC, and Kara offered an encouraging smile. "Go on."

"Noveria is a trap. I don't know if Saren expects to find a vital clue there or not, but he must assume that you'll learn of his interest and investigate."

Kara nodded. She still had no idea what secret the rogue Turian expected to find beneath the ice, but she had proven herself threat enough that he would want to eliminate her. Being firmly under Sovereign's control, as she suspected he was, he would not dare to risk himself for anything less than the critical moment. Benezia T'Soni was the obvious alternative; she had money invested in Binary Helix, and it was her aide that the Council's agent had sighted. That her daughter cooperated with his enemy made her a potential liability, in any final confrontation. "I agree."

"I need to be there with you."

"Liara—"

"We both know what is coming, Kara. She won't… she won't be herself. We aren't close, really, but if any can reach her through… through—" Sovereign's Indoctrination—"I have to try."

Kara put her arms around the Asari, holding her close. They shared much when it came to mothers; a single parent, distant during their youths, and now estranged. Hannah Shepard still served the Alliance, and it was certainly a possibility that she might be used against her daughter. Bound by the propaganda of patriotism and honor, she would obey as surely as if Indoctrinated, and Kara would fight back, and they would both regret the end, whatever shape it took.

"I can't, Liara. As your commander, I haven't the right, and as your lover—"

"You have no choice," the Asari finished, pulling away. She smiled slightly, almost a smirk, before she continued. "Maybe I'm crazy for thinking I can reach her, but I have to try."

They were her own words, reflected back at her. Kara sighed, and shook her head. "I've been a bad influence on you, it seems."

"Oh, I've been stubborn since long before we met," Liara laughed. "Though perhaps you have made me bolder."

Kara nodded slowly. She understood the need to make one final attempt at a better solution, and her own desire to protect someone she loved from unnecessary pain. The pain would pass, though, and all the quicker if Liara could see that Benezia was truly lost to indoctrination. The regret at not taking the chance—and resentment, if someone got in the way—would last longer, and cripple their relationship. "Then it's good I know when to back down."

"Good," Liara said, squeezing Kara's hand briefly. "How are things between you and Brynja?"

"Humans are raised to believe in monogamy," Kara sighed. "It's a hard thing to get past, even though we're not very good at it."

"So I've seen," the Asari said, shaking her head. "Your entertainment is replete with illicit affairs, though I'm not always sure of what is being done wrong."

"It's complicated," Kara laughed. Human social mores were hardly her strong point, but the people who signed up for an Alliance career, military or otherwise, tended to be less insular. For that reason, modern dramas liked to focus on the dangers of interspecies romances—women and Asari were a favorite forbidden pairing, and not just because of appreciation for pseudo-lesbian sex. Men tended to find Asari to be rather 'masculine', interacting with the world and other races as equals, rather than the feminine submissiveness they were portrayed with in the vids. "And not worth worrying about."

"Fair enough," Liara smiled, taking a step backwards, toward the stairs. "I've got you, after all. I'll see you later."

* * *

><p>Kara returned to her cabin as soon as first shift ended, sitting in front of her console. She supposed that, with everything that had happened recently, it was natural of her to feel somewhat nostalgic, and after speaking to Liara, her thoughts kept turning to her own scorned mother. Mending bridges was probably impossible now, even had she wanted to, but she did want something. To be sure that things hadn't changed between them, perhaps.<p>

She connected the _Normandy_ to the Alliance's comm network through one of the many anonymous relay servers located in Citadel space, a task that required very little in the way of expertise. By encrypting the comm line itself, she could contact the XO of the _Kilimanjaro_ without revealing her identity to a third party, which ensured that the call would not be blocked, and that her mother would suffer no repercussions.

After a few moments of waiting, Hannah Shepard's round face appeared on her display. "Who is this—oh. It's you."

"That's just the response I was looking for," Kara snapped. Nothing out of the ordinary there.

"I'm tired of doing this, Kara. I'm tired of hearing about your subversive behavior. Can you even imagine what it feels like to learn that your own daughter is a traitor?"

The Minister of Justice had officially announced the charges at midday, Alliance time, at a full press conference. Treason had been the most serious crime on a list that included sedition, criminal conspiracy, espionage, and a dozen lesser offenses. He had introduced the lucky prosecutor, a distinguished-looking older man, who had declared their intention to seek the death penalty. "I'd trust that she had her reasons."

"There's too much space between us for that. Fifteen years, Kara. We may as well admit that we're strangers, because I sure as hell don't know you. Fuck it," she groaned, shaking her head. "Kara, I know I wasn't the best of mothers. We never understood one another. I wish that weren't so… but I… I was _always_ proud of you. You made your own way, and stood by your beliefs, and that takes strength and courage. Now… you're just out of control. Sleeping with an Asari—" that was delivered with a contemptuous sneer— "and giving Alliance secrets to the enemy? Someone needs to put you down."

It hurt more than Kara expected to hear the words said, even though she should have expected them. "I don't think we'll be speaking again, Hannah," she said softly. Even as she said it, it seemed as if the woman on the display ceased to be her mother at all, and became a stranger, cold and passionless, a representation of something she never wanted to be. She cut off the link without another word.

There was nothing left to say, and she had no desire to say it. No need to deliver one last, cruel blow.

* * *

><p>"Mind if I join you?" Kara asked, seating herself next to Brynja in the mess.<p>

"Sure," the blond muttered. She was staring intently at a rather unimpressive poker hand; from the dwindling pile of chips at her elbow, it hadn't been her first. Jeff and Karen were sitting opposite her, with Greg as the fourth player. "Fold."

"I'll match, and raise you fifty," Jeff told the engineer, sliding a few chips into the pile.

"Fold," Karen sighed, turning her cards face down. "Is everything okay, Kara? You look a bit perturbed."

Kara shook her head. With the fresh edge of her mother's words worn off, she found them more disturbing that truly cutting. They had been years in coming, at any rate, and there was no point in burdening her crew with her problems. "I can accept exile gracefully enough," she said. "I'm more concerned about the rest of you."

"I always figured I'd be going back," Jeff shrugged. "This could still work out, though. Maybe the Asari need pilots? I hear they do this communal living thing, and they're always wandering around half-naked…"

"You're not nearly good enough at bluffing to pull that off," Kara said pointedly.

Greg laughed. "Call," he said, sliding the extra chips forward, and turning over the rest of his cards to reveal a full house.

"Shit," the pilot snapped, revealing a pair of sixes. He tended to fidget when away from the flight controls, and it only got worse when he tried to bluff. "Captain…" he protested.

"They don't tolerate bigotry, Jeff," Kara said softly, "and neither do I. You should know that by now."

"Yeah, but the game—"

"Isn't over yet," Brynja snapped. "Deal."

Kara sighed, as Jeff reshuffled the cards, grumbling under his breath. She was too harsh, perhaps, her reaction more visceral than intellectual; he made her uncomfortable, and she did not have to tolerate it.

"I intend to stick with Kara," Brynja announced, breaking the momentary silence. "Even if she turns over the _Normandy_, she'll need a new ship and crew."

"It won't be Alliance-made," Greg said flatly, studying the cards as Jeff dealt them. "I'm not sure what help I'd be."

"Really, Bryn, who's gonna give us a ship?" Jeff demanded.

"The Council," the blond replied sharply.

The Council appeared somewhat divided of late, when it came to her. If her hunt for Saren did not end without further diversions, Valern might side with Sparatus against her, ending her Spectre career in rather ignominious fashion. She would have to restrain herself from poking into other people's secrets on Noveria, lest she finally become too inconvenient. "That's not very likely."

"Huh," the blond muttered.

"I don't intend to abandon any of you," Kara continued, laying her hand on Brynja's shoulder, "so why don't we just enjoy the game?" It was why she had come, anyway—to remind herself that she had lost nothing of value, not to the Alliance, and certainly not to her mother.

* * *

><p>Kaliran's sharp, grey eyes followed Kara's every movement with deliberate focus, her stance and posture excellent, honed by a century of experience, both on and off the battlefield. Her style was quite distinct from the <em>karellé<em>[1] school, direct and aggressive, with none of the martial artisanry that was associated with the older traditions. The thousand year old 'modern' commando academy focused more on getting the job done than technique, and was similar in many ways to the Alliance's IPC training.

Kara nodded shortly, and the Asari went on the attack. The point of the exercise was not to hone her physical skills, but her counter-biotics, something that the Alliance could not properly train for. Everything she knew about the techniques had come from her few short years Thessia, and she had tried to keep them up, but her defeat at Saren's hands showed just how off she had gotten. If she hadn't been so hard pressed by his attacks, she would not have lost environmental awareness, and he would not have tripped her up. She might even have captured him right then, though it may have worked out better that she hadn't; it left the potential of dealing with Sovereign and Saren at the same time, instead of allowing the Reaper to go ground, and make a new attempt with a new agent in a century or two.

Still, Kara needed to be sure that she could stop Saren, when the chance came again, and so she and Kaliran had begun training together shortly after Virmire. Fighting the commando was always a challenge, and she lost more often than she won, but she learned from her mistakes. Her counter-biotics had improved markedly—at present, she held her own, returning the Asari's fists to their proper mass in time to more easily block them, and preventing shifts in her own mass that would affect her balance.

Stepping back to avoiding a particularly heavy blow, Kara felt the tingling feedback as her opponent wrapped her in a biotic field; she began to overbalance, and tried to stabilize herself with her own biotics, but Kaliran spun around, knocking her feet out from under her with a sweeping kick. She landed flat on her back.

"You didn't anticipate," the Asari grinned, standing over her and offering a hand.

Kara let herself be pulled to her feet. "I've used that tactic myself," she said. "You'd think I'd be expecting it."

"The trick isn't to expect everything, Kara," Kaliran laughed, "it's to learn to deal with the unexpected."

"True," Kara agreed, retreating to the nearest bench. "I'm worried about this next mission, Kal, and I'm running out of time to prepare."

Kaliran grinned again. "You wouldn't be confiding in me if you didn't want something."

"If I start from the assumption that Benezia is being controlled by Sovereign, rather than following him willingly, the question becomes; can I somehow capture her and her people?"

"At some point, Kara, she made a choice. I don't know where, or why, but she did, and no one will blame you if she is killed, because she had to be stopped."

"I will, Kal," Kara frowned, lowering her voice to a sharp whisper, forcing the Asari to lean in close. "Give me another choice."

Kaliran sighed, and slumped onto the bench beside her. Save for them, the training room was empty, not surprising considering that she had ordered it cleared. "I'm sorry, Kara, but there aren't any tricks left. You can try to overpower Benezia, and anyone with her, but all you'll be doing is putting your people in more danger."

And Liara. She didn't want to grieve her lover, but it seemed inevitable. She couldn't sacrifice herself; but if she—or worse, Liara herself—killed Benezia… "We all take risks, Kaliran. Sometimes they work out. We need indoctrinated individuals to study, and I intend Benezia to be one of them."

"That's what this is about. Of course," Kaliran said, her voice tinged by a trace of a smirk.

"Do you have a suggestion, or are you just going to make fun of me?" Kara asked calmly. Her case rested on firmer ground than a lover's protectiveness, and the Asari knew it. Benezia was not as well trained, or as powerful, as a commando, and was likely to have more insight into Saren's operations.

"Noveria's security forces are sure to have some biotic clamps on hand, but you're still going to have to overpower her, and there's no special technique for that. Sorry."

Biotic clamps were the equivalent of handcuffs, interfacing with the wearer's biotic implant in much the same way as an amp, but with the opposite effect. They were uncomfortable to wear, and generated painful feedback if resisted. "It's a start."

"Has anyone ever told you that you're annoyingly persistent?"

Kara laughed. "Frequently, but I never let that stop me."

"I'm not surprised," the Asari stated dryly.

"Yes," Kara said, shaking her head, "I get it. It's just, I value my independence; the ability to think, and choose my own actions, even if I choose to conform. To see that taken away from anyone—and then, to have to kill them for it?"

"I've had plenty of time to look up what she had to say, since I joined this adventure of yours," Kaliran said, her usual smile fading. "I disagree with most of it, but she doesn't seem like a good match for Saren."

"Tell me about her?"

Kaliran stood, offering Kara her hand again, her warm smile returning. "Over a cup of that tea you keep around."

"Fair enough," Kara agreed, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet.

xxxx

"… Ambassador Udina has been recalled from the Citadel, Captain," Sparatus stated coldly, "and Alliance patrols along the Turian and Salarian borders have increase by twenty percent. They haven't withdrawn from the Citadel Conventions entirely, but they say they will, if you aren't turned over to them."

Kara tapped her fingers tensely against the back of her chair. They needed her, and they knew it, but Saren wasn't their only, or necessarily their primary, concern. "And your response?"

"As of now, your mandate is limited to the pursuit of Saren. You will cease meddling in the affairs of the Alliance, or you will be recalled and turned over for trial. Is that clear?"

"Yes," Kara said flatly. "And what steps are you taking to censure the Alliance?"

"That's not your business," the Turian snapped.

Kara shook her head. If they were smart, they would wait until after the Hegemony published the files to make any official move, and even then they would focus on reaching out to human citizens, rather than isolating the Alliance. The sensible thing for her to do, though, was to the let the conversation move on to the next issue. "I trust you realize that our colonists are the victims here?"

"I assure you, Kara, that we'll make the best of the situation," Adar replied, "but Varrus is right. We do not answer to you. When do you arrive on Noveria?"

"Two days," Kara said. "Have you been able to confirm that Saren's target is Binary Helix, and not one of the other corporations doing business there?"

"Yes, but our agent has been unable to discover precisely what they're up to. I'm sorry."

"We have arranged for a Salarian team to meet you there, however," Valern said. "They're equipped to assist you in capturing Indoctrinated individuals, and return them to the Citadel for study."

Kara sighed, smiling faintly. "I didn't expect that. Thank you."

"You may need to resort to, shall we say, creative methods, to get them past Noveria security. Our treaty with the NDC requires only that they admit Spectres, but they will want to make your incursion as… limited as possible."

Naturally. The independent world's patrons paid well for secrecy and isolation, after all, and that included Binary Helix. "I'll let you know what I find."

"Oh, and Shepard," Sparatus added, "keep your hands to yourself, this time. We've chosen to respect the NDC's privacy laws, and we expect you to do the same. If you cross the line, I'll hand you over to the Alliance myself."

"And how much were you paid to hold that opinion?" Kara snapped. Baiting the Councillor was hardly the sensible thing to do, but his threats were getting tedious—he couldn't do anything without the support of the others.

Of course, Sparatus seemed about to explode, while Adar looked as though she were trying to smother a laugh. It was an open, if rarely discussed, secret that the Hierarchy was corrupt. Valern, though, was carefully selected for neutrality in the Salarian Union's rough internal politics, and pretended not to notice.

"Perhaps we should continue this discussion later," the Salarian said, reaching for the controls. "Excuse us, Captain."

The holodisplay went dark.

* * *

><p>[1] One of the three ancient martial traditions that evolved into modern Asari commando training, <em>karellé<em> is generally translated to English as 'Way of the Huntress'. This can be confusing, as the names of all three translate to roughly the same thing.

The _karellé_ tradition uses calisthenics as a base, to discipline the mind and body, before moving on to modern combat techniques.

Kara trained in the _karellé_ tradition.

* * *

><p>So that footnote probably belongs in <em>The Wanderer<em>, but it missed the last update. Next time? My main concern at present is whether or not a certain individual should survive the Noveria arc or not.

Thanks for reading, and we appreciate all reviews, including the critical ones.


	34. Intemperance

And hello again, everyone. There are two additional chapters on Shooting Canon, since my last update, featuring Jack, and the neglected trio of ME squad mates. If you haven't already, I'd encourage you to take a look.

A longer chapter than usual, this time, and not all that different from the Bioware original. Enjoy.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR<br>_Intemperance_

A slice of the cold, blue disk of Noveria was visible through the _Normandy_'s forward viewport, laced with thin white clouds and spinning slowly. The private companies that owned the Noveria Development Corporation had chosen the frozen world for a variety of reasons, but its cheap price and convenient location were certainly the most important. The system had no obviously profitable resources, and no colonizeable planets. The systems within easy FTL range had little more to recommend them, and so the Salarian Union had ignored the entire cluster, leaving the planet outside the Council's jurisdiction, and free to claim.

For that reason, and the NDC's generally secretive demeanor, Noveria was the presumed staging ground for a multitude of unproven conspiracy theories, at least some of which were probably true. If she had the time and inclination, Kara—or any other investigator—could have uncovered secrets enough to destabilize half the corporations in the galaxy, and some of the governments as well.

"The damage out here is more extensive than I'd guessed," Adams said. He was outside the ship already, checking over the hull while a team repaired the damaged thruster. "I wouldn't recommend atmospheric entry, not without a week in spacedock."

Kara sighed. The feed from his helmet camera was up on one of the ops display, revealing a hear-scar on the pressure hull, as he peered though a long gash in the armor. "Alright, just do what you can to keep us spaceworthy. We'll land in the _Sorran,_ instead. Should I ask them to loan you some extra engineers?"

"Resources are going to be more a limiting factor than labor, Captain, but I wouldn't refuse a few more hands."

"Kirrahe will make arrangements to purchase any replacement parts you need, as long as someone on Noveria keeps them in stock. Try not to exceed half a million credits."

"That might just pay for a new coat of paint, ma'am," Greg laughed.

Considering that the _Normandy_ had cost the Alliance something like twenty billion credits to construct, he wasn't far off. "Best I can do," Kara smiled. "You could try contacting the Council and asking them for more money..."

"No, ma'am!" the engineer replied hastily. "Adams out."

Kara sighed, and ran her fingers through her hair. Greg's initial survey had confirmed that the mission was at risk, the stealth systems largely irreparable, and the hull in no condition to withstand an attempt at running a blockade. If the Geth reached Ilos first… she didn't like to think about it, but she didn't have to, at least not yet. "Brynja, contact Captain Marreth. Tell him to bring the _Sorran_ alongside, and prepare for linkup. Request an engineering team for EVA work, while you're at it."

"Yes, ma'am."

* * *

><p>From the outside, the <em>Sorran<em> did not look vastly different from the _Normandy_, with the same curved hull and stabilizing wings The STG infiltration was a little bigger, and extra twenty meters long, and five across. Though not the latest model, it still contained technologies well in advance of anything on the _Normandy_, but lacked hull refrigeration systems, the oversized Tantalus eezo core, or any comparable stealth devices. It was easily visible through the forward viewport, less than ten meters distant—close enough to have linked their airlock's short extendable corridors, creating a bridge between the two ships.

Kara checked the airlock's pressure readouts, making sure the two flexes had properly sealed, before opening the inner door. She stepped into the corridor.

"Captain Shepard," said a short Salarian with captain's insignia on his white and yellow STG uniform, inclining his head briefly. "Welcome to the _Sorran_. The engineering team you requested is currently being deployed from our vehicle bay."

"Thanks," Kara nodded, following the captain onto the command deck, laid out in a manner similar to the standard Alliance design, with the commanding officer's station centrally placed. "I appreciate the help, Selek. I'm sure it goes beyond your orders."

"They're easily enough spared while we're in orbit," Marreth replied. "I'm not sure how much help they can be. The damage to your ship looks extensive."

"It's bad enough," Kara sighed. "That's why we're taking the _Sorran_ into Port Hanshan."

"Putting our ground teams that much close to deployment," the Salarian nodded approvingly.

That had not really been a factor in Kara's decision. Her preferred solution would be to convince the NDC administrator, a Salarian named Anoleis, to let her land troops directly outside of Binary Helix's facility. Or, failing that, she had considered sabotaging their air defenses. "I'll go in first with my own team," she said, "and see if I can't turn up enough information to come up with a plan."

"Are you sure?" Selek asked, stopping in front of the command station. "I have an information retrieval specialist on my crew. He could be invaluable."

The Council had sent Kara information on the _Sorran_'s crew, and the equipment they had onboard, allowing her to make some their capabilities. They had left from Sur'Kesh, where they had been participating in a training exercise, and some had made sure they were stocked for the task at hand. "Your orders including monitoring my activities, don't they?"

The Salarian frowned, and responded flatly. "No."

"I understand," Kara nodded. There was nothing like conflicting orders to make a person's life easier, but that was his burden, not hers. She respected that he hadn't tried for a more convincing lie, perhaps knowing that she wouldn't believe it, and that it would have made it difficult for her to trust him further. "With your permission, Selek, I'll bring my team aboard now."

"Go ahead."

Kara activated her headset. "You can bring everyone across now, Orlanis."

* * *

><p>The temperature outside Port Hanshan was mild for the time of year, according to the port controller, at just under zero degrees celsius, though they were expecting a storm and accompanying temperature drop later in the planet's fifty-two hour day. The composition of the atmosphere suggested that an earlier climate had supported life, though it had been a world of snow and ice for almost a hundred thousand years, if the estimates were correct. It no longer contained oxygen in breathable levels, however, which was why Kara wore a breath mask as she stepped out of the <em>Sorran<em>'s airlock. They were sealed off from the weather, but oxygenating the atmosphere was not cost effective.

From the width of the hanger in which they'd docked, she guessed that it more frequently sheltered freighters, rather than military ships, with a heavy lift for moving cargo pods, and a walkway for connecting to the crew level airlock. Looking back, and seeing the white and yellow of a Salarian ship, rather than the black and white _Normandy_, felt somewhat strange, as though she had severed a final lingering connection to the Alliance, even though her old ship was still in orbit, and she would have to go back to it.

"They say the labs on Noveria are built into the glaciers," Liara said, walking beside her, "so that if anything goes wrong, they can sink them into the ice, killing everyone and everything involved."

"I bet that contributes to the conspiracy theories about this place," Emily said, shivering in her thin jacket. The rest of them were wearing armor with internal environmental controls. "It's damned cold out here, Kara. Let's get moving."

Kara nodded, and led them further along the walkway. The Council had ordered her not to involve herself in anything other than uncovering Saren's interest in Binary Helix, but they could not hold her responsible for the actions of an independent journalist—even if they entered on her authority.

As they rounded the corner, Kara noticed a security team waiting for them. Or at least, they were wearing armor with the NDC Security logo on the chest; two human women, and one turian male. She expected a checkpoint, but one equipped with security scanners and camera, not at a random location. "Be ready to take cover, Emily," she instructed, not slowing her pace.

"You always manage to find trouble," Tali said, rushing to catch up to her.

It did seem like it. Security on Noveria was provided by a Turian-owned corporation, Elanus Risk Control, which held stock in the NDC. Kara hoped that meant they weren't going to try and arrest her on behalf of the Alliance, but she didn't like to underestimate the foolishness of armed humans.

"That's far enough," the lead human said, her features suggesting an asian heritage. Her armor was of Turian make, if its functional chest was any indication, and bore the insignia of a captain on its arm.

Kara paused. "What is this about?"

"This is an unscheduled landing. I'll need to see your credentials." Her flat tone didn't give much away, but Kara suspected bluster.

"Council Spectre Kara Shepard," she said calmly. It was hardly proof of her identity, but she remained skeptical of the captain's authority.

"That's bullshit," the second human, a lieutenant, snapped. "She's a fucking traitor."

Kara suppressed a groan. No doubt the accusation would follow her to the most isolated pockets of humanity in the galaxy. Even if it didn't bother her—and she was already tired of hearing it—it promised to make missions like this one more difficult. "As you have no authority to arrest me on behalf of the Alliance, you may as well get out of my way."

"Yeah? Well then, maybe they'll pay us a nice sum to hand you over," the blond lieutenant sneered.

"Shut up, Stirling," the captain snapped. "Sorry about her, Captain Shepard. We're just here to inform you that weapons aren't allowed on Noveria. You'll have to turn yours over to me."

Kara sighed. "A few points of advice, Captain. First, port security isn't handled in random corridors. Second, the next time you intend to take on a Spectre, bring more firepower. Third, don't mistake me for a fool."

"Wait, what's going on here, Captain?" the Turian asked. He was a sergeant, from his uniform, and quite mean-looking, . His interest in human politics probably didn't go beyond knowing how to score a promotion. "You said you had orders from the Executor."

Executor of Noveria security, he meant, a Turian named Xanus Ithilius, who might believe Kara to be a threat to the privacy of the NDC's clients, and not entirely without good reason. "I do," the Captain stated firmly.

Kara almost believed her, except for the location. If the orders came down from the chief of security, why not confront her at the checkpoint?

"Stand down, Captain Matsuo." Of course; because Executor Ithilius didn't have the final say in the matter. The disembodied female voice from the speakers was definitely speaking english, which made her human, rather than Asari. "Escort Captain Shepard to security immediately."

Matsuo sighed. "If you'll follow me, ma'am?"

Kara nodded, and let the woman lead her along the walkway. "So who was that?"

"Gianna Parasini," Matsuo said, "assistant to Administrator Anoleis. She's new, and if she doesn't stop nosing around, she won't live to be old."

Here it was, just the sort of business she didn't mean to get involved in. "Sounds like my kind of woman."

Matsuo groaned, and pushed open a set of doors. With the interior and outside pressure nearly equal, and the atmosphere non-toxic, they had forgone the expense of an airlock,

Kara unhooked her mask, and checked to make sure her entire group had made it inside. Emily was still shivering, and rubbed her arms vigorously, and she smiled and nodded.

Turning, Kara led the way through the weapons scanner, which flashed an alert to the two guards on station; they didn't move to intercept her, or Liara and Tali.

"Captain Shepard," said a thirty-something woman, brown-skinned and black haired, from inside the security kiosk, visible through a layer of ballistic glass. "I apologize for the welcome you received. I'm Gianna Parasini, assistant administrator of this facility. If you'll meet me in my office, perhaps we can start over on more friendly ground."

Kara nodded shortly. Hopefully, Gianna could provide her with confirmation of Benezia's presence, or even some hint of what projects Binary Helix had going. If not, she still needed to arrange transport to Peak Fifteen. "I'll be there."

"Good," Gianna replied, the relief in her voice reflected in her smile. "Take the elevator up to the main dome, then turn left. You can't miss the signs. I'll be with you in a few minutes."

Presumably, the assistant administrator wanted to have a few sharp words with her wayward security officers. Captain Matsuo would take the reprimand seriously, but her lieutenant seemed to looking for trouble, and might just try again.

Kara frowned, and gestured for her team to move into the lift. "You might be in more danger here than I thought, Emily," she began, as the doors closed behind them. "Do you want to return to the ship?"

"You've got to be kidding, Kara," the young woman replied. "Even Khalisah dreamed about a chance like this back in college, and I'm not letting go. It's not like I'll really be spying or anything, just asking around, and they won't dare hurt me while I'm under your protection."

"They might. Just try not to draw attention to yourself, and if they do start shooting, head for the ship. That personal barrier you're wearing won't protect you for long, but I don't think Executor Ithilius will risk a general order to bring you in."

"Miss Parasini has made her intent to cooperate with us clear. I don't think the Executor will send more guards after us, once she gets done lecturing him."

"Xanus Ithilius is female," Kara said sharply, frowning at the young journalist.

Emily straightened, staring firmly back at her. "Small mistake, sorry."

The lift was beginning to slow, and Kara had neither the time nor inclination for that discussion. "Just stay safe, Emily."

* * *

><p>"Captain Shepard," Bel Anoleis said, his wide Salarian mouth turned downward in an irritated frown. "Our treaty with the Council specifies that Spectres be allowed to land; it does not require that we cooperate with them. I have no intention of helping you breach the privacy of my clients. Good day."<p>

Kara leveled a cold stare at the administrator, but he had already shifted his attention back to his work. Finding Gianna's office empty, she had decided to speak to Anoleis directly, while she waited for his assistant to return. His dismissive attitude was curious; politically independent or not, Council opposition would close the world down in short order, which meant that the NDC had an interest in cooperating.

"Administrator," Liara said, "I received a message from my _kerta_ asking me to meet her on Noveria. As I'm sure you're aware, _Suréathe_ Benezia is a very wealthy and influential individual, with substantial investments in many corporations that do business here…"

"No she isn't," Anoleis muttered. "She's an Asari."

"I hope that's a joke, Bel," Kara said quietly.

The Salarian's head jerked upwards at the tone of her voice, meeting her gaze uncertainly. "Yes, yes. Sorry. Poor taste."

Poor taste? As if the only problem with racist jokes was telling them in the wrong company? She gritted her teeth, too angry to think up a suitable response.

"Uh, yes," Tali interrupted, moving between Kara and the administrator. "If you're not going to help us, I guess I'll just have to hack someone's terminal. I prefer it this way. It's, ah, more fun, and you never know what you'll find!"

Kara sighed. Even the young Quarian was learning to anticipate her, and it felt strange. "I can handle this myself, Tali."

"Oh, of course, Kara," the Quarian replied, her dimly glowing eyes blinking sweetly. "I just didn't want you to have to hurt him."

"I'm not going to—" Kara began, at the same time Anoleis uttered a shocked;

"… hurt me?"

"_Satharii_, yes," Liara smiled. "On Feros, I had to sit on her to protect Administrator Jong. She was quite irate."

The Salarian peered around Tali, blanching at the expression on Kara's face. She was certainly beginning to feel irate, but it wasn't directed at Anoleis. Feros had been in the news, as the Asari transport carrying the evacuated colonists had arrived at the Citadel a day ago. Jong and his fellow ExoGeni employees were currently sitting in a CSec holding cell, until the could be tried, or the Alliance requested their extradition. "I doubt that, Asari. You're playing games with me."

"Yes, she is," Kara said dryly.

Anoleis returned his attention to his work. "I think you should leave now."

If there had been any chance of convincing him to help, it was gone now. Kara stood, gesturing that her squad should follow her out of the Salarian's office.

"Kara…"

"It's fine, Tali," Kara said, smiling at the Quarian. "He wasn't going to help, no matter what we said."

"But I will." Kara turned to see Gianna Parasini sitting behind her desk, smiling in amusement. "I did suggest that you wait for me."

"Yes, but you want something," Kara replied. It seemed like a safe guess, if Gianna was willing to defy her superior, that they were involved in some separate conflict, and that a Spectre would make a valuable ally.

The woman stood, straightening her business suit. "I do, yes," she admitted, walking around her desk, and gesturing at pair of chairs. Like most of the furniture, they were Salarian-made, with a functional, somewhat post-modern aesthetic. "Unfortunately, Bel can't give you the information you want—we don't keep any records of what our clients are up to. You can't access their files from here, either. Each research facility has an independent VI, with a manual interlink with the extranet, to prevent just the sort of invasion you're contemplating. I can at least confirm that Matriarch Benezia is here, and that she brought four Asari commandos, along with some cargo containers."

"What was in them?" Kara asked, moving closer, but ignoring the chair.

"We don't check. They're scanned for weapons, and sent on."

Some equipment necessary for their project, then. Since Binary Helix already had access to the most advanced technology on the market, Benezia would most likely be supplying Geth, or even Reaper, devices, which didn't make much sense when the company they were collaborating with specialized in biotechnology. No; she still didn't have enough information to reach a conclusion. "Have you heard from Peak Fifteen since the Matriarch arrived?"

"There were several outgoing transmissions, four hours after she left Port Hanshan, but no. They haven't contacted us, or responded to requests for a status update. Policy in these situations is to monitor the facility for possible dangers, unless the lease-holder authorizes emergency containment."

Containment. Melting the facility into the ice by overloading its fusion reactor; heat sterilization followed by perpetual entombment. Kara turned to check on Liara, smiling softly. "You can still change your mind," she whispered.

Liara shook her head. "No. Nothing has changed. I still need to do this."

Except that their theory had been confirmed. Kara nodded; she had made a promise, after all. "Authorize us for transport, Gianna," she said, still holding her lover's gaze.

"I can't—"

"I'm not asking," Kara said quietly, turning her gaze on dark-haired human.

"I don't have the authority," Gianna protested. "Only the Administrator can issue passes without client approval."

Now she was undoubtedly about to explain how she would happily help, if only Kara would perform some service for her, probably to the detriment of her boss. Whichever one of them ended up in charge, it would make little difference to anyone.

"Think carefully before you ask for my help, Gianna. I may not be on your side."

The woman sighed, sinking into one of the chairs. "I'd heard you were difficult, Captain, but really. Fine. There's a Turian in the hotel Mezzanine named Lorik Qui'in. Hear him out _before_ you threaten him."

Kara turned away, running her fingers irritably through her hair. She was, for once, trying to keep to her own business, and everyone around her seemed intent on dragging her into theirs. She could have Tali break into the vehicle bay, but it would mean no support from Orlanis or Selek. "Very well," she sighed.

* * *

><p>The hotel Mezzanine was a small and mostly empty room, set up to serve visiting executives and their chosen representatives, along with the more important employees of the NDC. The staff had their own entertainment facilities in another part of the port, where they were less likely to bother the more important guests. Kara didn't spot her Lorik Qui'in on her first pass, but she did noticed a bored-looking Asari, sitting beside an empty plate and studying an omnitool display. Their gaze met in passing, and she waved her fingers inconspicuously—trying to attract attention?<p>

"Liara, why don't you order something to drink," Kara said quietly. "Sit next to the Asari in the corner. I'm going to find Qui'in."

"Is she someone you know?"

"No, so be careful. Tali, stay with her."

"Whatever you need," Liara smiled. "Do try to be diplomatic?"

Kara smiled in turn. "I always am," she muttered, mock-offended. She leaned in, almost giving her lover a light kiss, then remembered what awaited them, and stopped herself with a sigh.

Liara's happy expression faded, and she settled for squeezing Kara' hand, briefly, before turning away. "Come, Tali."

She watched them go until they reached the bar, then turned to continue her search, spotting the crests of a male Turian on the second level balcony. Qui'in, maybe. She climbed the stairs, located on the far side of the room, and moved to join him.

"You must be Captain Shepard," he said, swirling a glass filled with a silvery-orange liquid. "What can I do for you?"

"Does everyone here know who I am?"

The Turian laughed. "It's a small port, Captain, and there's so little we're allowed to talk about. Gossip and weather. Weather and gossip. It get's tedious. If you didn't know, I'm Lorik Qui'in, and I ran the local Synthetic Insights office, until Administrator Anoleis shut it down. Now I sit here and drink."

"And why would he do that?" Kara asked, sitting across from him.

"The Salarian bastard tried to blackmail me, that's why," Qui'in grumbled, his mandibles flaring angrily. "You know, we could be of help to one another. Rumor has it, you're here to investigate something up at Peak Fifteen. Bel's probably got his claws dug in about not giving you any help, but I don't have that problem. I can get you clearance."

"Go on."

"The office has been sealed off by security, so I can't get to the computer, but I doubt they could keep you out. I've been keeping records on Bel for a while now, enough to put him in his place. You bring me the files I need, and I'll give you my pass. Then we can both get back to work."

The Council would not be pleased if she raided the Synthetic Insights office. Even with Qui'in's permission, she would be violating Anoleis' orders. The question was, did she care? She had never wanted to be a Spectre, even if she had gotten used to it.

That was a troubling thought, and she had only one way to respond to it. "Alright, Qui'in. Tell me how to find these files of yours."

* * *

><p>Kara switched off the computer console, and pulled Qui'in OSD from its slot. If she had the time, she would've preferred to check that the files it had transferred said what he claimed, but she didn't suppose that it mattered. She didn't doubt that Anoleis was corrupt, or Qui'in either, but she needed a pass; maybe she should have broken into the garage and been done with it. At least she wouldn't be involved in a ridiculous corporate feud.<p>

The Asari had it right; a cooperative economy, based on meeting needs rather than creating profit, could hardly be less efficient than a planet full of squabbling bureaucrats. No one starved in the Asari Republic, while half the population of Earth lived in extreme poverty, with barely enough food to survive.

Leaving the upper level office, Kara paused in surprise. Stirling, the blond lieutenant from the landing bay, stood on the far end of the walkway, flanked by another two humans. Unless she had underestimated the sophistication of the door lock, they had come in after her, and not to investigate a break-in, and they had placed their ambush well. There was little cover between her and the far end of the walkway, and a drop down to the ground level on either side. Her position was bad enough to make three against one problematic. "I thought I might be seeing you again."

"I'm not stupid, Shepard. I know your rep. All I had to do was keep an eye on you, 'cause you were bound to pull something like this," the lieutenant smirked. "Maybe I can't bring you in for treason, but breaking into a private office? You're under arrest."

Kara frowned, studying her opponents. Aside from Stirling, there was a man of about her age, wearing light armor. She took him for a biotic, probably one of the many L2s who had sought help from the older races after the Alliance had mostly abandoned them. As Turian biotic technology was entirely incompatible with the human brain, he would not have found any, but he could still be dangerous. The third member of the team was another woman, a sergeant, striking an aggressive posture with her combat shotgun raised.

"I don't think so," Kara said. What made it worse was that the lieutenant had sensibly equipped her team to face a biotic. They each had personal antibiotic units strapped to their belts, supplementing their suit's barriers with a biotic-countering layer, and they carried short-range suppression weapons, to keep her from closing.

The blond flashed a cold grin, reading her SMG. "Take her down."

Kara vaulted over the railing, shifting her mass mid-air so that she landed on the ground floor with a minimal impact roll. She readied her pistol, wrapping it in a disruption field, and fired at the blond, as her head appeared over the rail. The shot missed, but not by much, as Stirling ducking back with a yelp of pain. Antibiotic barriers were good against active fields, but not much use against biotically-modified ammo.

"You can still walk away from this, Lieutenant," Kara shouted, rolling to her feet.

"Fuck you," the Stirling snapped. Kara could anticipate the lieutenant's orders; the biotic would jump down after her, hopefully allowing the shotgun-wielding woman came down the stairs and attack her from behind. Stirling would snipe at her from above.

Rushing the stairs, Kara met the second woman at the top, catching her by surprise and slamming her into the wall. She hit her head with enough force that she slumped to the floor, dazed.

Kara turned on Stirling next, barely giving the blond time to register her approach before knocking her over the rail with a biotically-enhanced punch.

"Oh, shit," the biotic muttered, as Kara followed Stirling down, pinning the woman's arm with her foot. He tossed his pistol aside, and raised his hands in surrender.

"Next time," Kara told him, plucking the antibiotic device off Stirling's belt. It appeared to be of Turian origin, probably manufactured by Elanus-RC, like the rest of the guards' equipment. The Salarians had brought similar technology, though only enough to equip their own ground team. She wasn't above claiming these as spoils of victory. "Don't let her drag you along."

* * *

><p>"Captain Shepard. There you are."<p>

Kara raised an eyebrow as Gianna Parasini appeared out of the shadows. She had only just stepped out of the lift down from Synthetic Insights' office, and certainly hadn't expected to find the assistant administrator lurking nearby. "Are you following me as well?"

"It is my business."

Not really, and certainly not in person. Unless she was something other than what she claimed. Kara waved for her to follow, and started back towards the Mezzanine. "What is it you want?"

"What, no threats this time?" Gianna asked sharply.

Kara sighed; she did deserve the censure. "No, but no promises, either. I've had enough of delays."

"Okay. I can work with that. You see, I was sent by the NDC's executive board to investigate improprieties by Administrator Anoleis. They've heard reports that he's corrupt, but no proof."

Proof that she was carrying on an OSD. "I'm sure he's driving away business or something, and costing your company billions," Kara replied, "but I just don't care. You're going to have to deal with Qui'in, if you want his evidence."

"Please, Captain. He's offered you his pass, right? Transport for you and your squad? With his testimony, I could have Anoleis removed immediately, and grant you permission to land your ship outside Peak Fifteen. You just need to convince him to help me."

It was little enough, Kara supposed, in exchange for the best possible solution. "Consider it done, Gianna," she said, turning to face the woman.

"Thank you, Captain. Really," she said, smiling firmly as she gestured towards the Mezzanine. "Go on; I'll follow you in a few minutes. We wouldn't want Lorik feeling pressured."

Kara didn't know why Gianna couldn't talk to Qui'in herself, but perhaps he simply didn't trust her, not knowing of her affiliation with the board. He was being pulled in all directions, after all, with Synthetic Insights' head office on one side, and Anoleis on the other.

Liara smiled at her, as soon as she came through the wide entryway, and she nodded in return. The other Asari had, as she predicted, struck up a conversation with her squadmates, but Kara didn't join them yet, returning to Qui'in's table on the upper level.

The Turian hadn't moved since she left, though his glass had been refilled. "Captain. I trust you return victorious?"

Kara laid the OSD on the table. "I had an interesting conversation with an agent of the NDC Executive Board. It seems they suspect Anoleis of corruption."

"Damn right he is," the Turian growled.

"Then why not testify against him?"

"Now why would I do that?" Qui'in asked. "He can't touch me, so there's no reason why I shouldn't let him bleed the competition dry, for all I care."

Clenching her jaw, Kara tried not to let too much anger show on her face. It was about what she had expected from him. "He can, you know," she pointed out coldly. "He'll find a way to get rid of you. He might even have you killed." Hired killers were not, after all, an unusual response to blackmail, and the Administrator had a garrison of mercenaries at his disposal.

"I, uh, never thought of that," the Turian said. "Do you really think—of course you do. I could hire a couple of Krogan bodyguards, but… expensive, and I'd have to justify it to Headquarters. They won't be happy about it."

"Agree to testify, and you won't need to worry about it," Kara suggested.

"Spirits," Qui'in sighed. "I've no desire to end up buried in a glacier somewhere, so I'll go along. I suppose you'll want that pass, now."

Kara nodded, as the Turian activated his omnitool. "The agent I spoke of is Gianna Parasini, the assistant administrator. She'll need to speak to you immediately."

"I'm not sure why she's in such a hurry," Qui'in said. "There. You're now an authorized employee of Synthetic Insights, at least until someone in Sentient Resources realizes I'm not paying you anything. Your ID chip will get you into the garage."

"Good," Kara said, rising to her feet. If Gianna kept her word, she wouldn't need it, but she did wonder if it might not be safer to scout Peak Fifteen from the ground, before trying to land a ship nearby. All of the outlying facilities had their own air defense turrets, centrally controlled, but they could be overridden easily enough. It was also forbidden, grounds for voiding a company's lease contract, but Benezia was unlikely to care.

Gianna was already waiting for her, on the lower level, so she made her way down the stairs, and approached the woman. "It's done," she said softly.

"Thank you again, Captain. I'll have you cleared with Traffic Control in less than an hour."

"I'm curious, Gianna," Kara said, before the woman could turn away, "I've been called a traitor today, but not by you."

Gianna laughed. "You don't get my job without some talent for finding the truth, Captain, and to tell the truth, I've been following you since you were made Spectre. If that's not answer enough, calling someone names when you need their help is impolitic at best. Excuse me."

It was ambiguous, certainly, making no statement as to what the woman actually believed. Not that it mattered, as they both had what they needed.

Kara watched Gianna disappear up the stairs, before turning away, back to where Liara and Tali sat with the unknown Asari. They were sitting in silence when she approached, sliding a chair in place so she could sit beside her lover.

Under the table, Liara placed her hand on Kara's thigh, felt only as a faint pressure through her armor, and smiled softly. "Was there trouble?"

"I didn't threaten anyone," Kara replied, returning the smile. "We're just waiting on full clearance."

"So Gianna managed to persuade you to help her," the other Asari said. "She can be very persistent."

"Kara, this is Mallene Calis," Liara said. "She works for Armali Council."

And she also wanted something. Kara nodded at her. "I wasn't aware that the Asari Cooperatives did business here."

"We don't, or we don't lease their facilities," Calis replied. "Our own labs on Thessia are secure enough for the work we do. I was sent to acquire a new biotic enhancement technology developed by Binary Helix."

That was too much coincidence to easily accept. Was Calis the agent Adar had spoken of? If so, she must have had some indication that the biotech company's research had become dangerous. "You've found something, or you wouldn't risk your cover by talking to me."

"Adar said you were clever," Calis smiled. "Binary Helix tried to keep it quiet, but six months ago they started hiring mercenaries. They were placed at all its holdings, but most—certainly the best—ended up here. The NDC allows leaseholders to keep ten guards at their labs, but we know Binary Helix has more, as many as twenty, most of them Turian, with a few humans and Krogan."

Six months was well before Kara had even become a Spectre, so the mercenaries were not in place to stop her, but for some other purpose. Since the NDC promised security from raids, she came back to the idea of dangerous research; something that could be stopped with light weapons.

"I managed to get access to the NDC database," Calis continued, leaning in over the small table. "A few weeks before they started hiring mercenaries, a freighter came in from the far side of the Traverse, and that's when Peak Fifteen was brought back up to full staff."

Benezia had acquired most of her shares in Binary Helix five years ago, and had since pursued a cure for the Genophage, paid for by a coalition of Krogan tribes. It was possible it had ended up in Saren's hands, before they canceled the contract just over a year ago. Had the Matriarch convinced them to replace the project with something else?

What, though? Not Husks, or Indoctrination; she doubted Sovereign would allow it. Something else. Another attempt at building an army? There was only one way she was going to find out, and she had delayed long enough.

"It's time to go," she said, standing quickly. They would drive, and the _Sorran_ would follow on after Parasini got them clearance.

* * *

><p>As usual, thanks for reading, and leave a review if you have something to say. We appreciate all comments.<p>

If you haven't stopped by Shooting Canon, don't forget to.


	35. Regrets

This is one of those chapters where I found myself staring at a page for hours on end, and then realize I haven't actually committed anything to paper. There are times when I wish I were a faster writer... but so long as I get it done reasonably well, I can't complain.

Anyway, more departure from canon. Anyone surprised at this point hasn't been paying attention. I decided that I needed to figure out what the group hierarchy of the upcoming enemy looked like, and I at least have a basic idea. Giant bugs are a fairly common Sci-Fi foe, but realistically; a horde of mindless insects, the equivalent to an industrial civilization, all controlled by single organic mind?

Part of that is, in the end, a result of my regarding 'organic QECs' as a silly concept for an evolved life form. Yes, I know... my not liking something about ME3 isn't a revelation.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE<br>_Regrets_

Kara secured her breath mask, checking that Liara had done the same, before opening the hatch. A harsh wind howled through the Peak Fifteen garage, carrying with it a blinding mix of snow and ice that had reduced outside visibility to less than twenty meters, and promised to get worse as the storm continued moving in. She would not have risked getting caught outside in such weather, but Port Hanshan's meteorology VI had predicted another thirty minutes of clear skies, which should have been enough to land and offload the _Sorran_.

"Shepard to _Normandy_," Kara said, checking her headset as she climbed out of the cabin. The transmitter in her suit was designed with orbital range, but at that distance struggled to break through any interference. A good storm was enough to cut them off, and she feared that it had. "_Sorran_, respond."

"What do we do now?" Liara asked, her voice distant. At this point, there seemed little chance of the mission ending well for her, and she seemed to realize it. "Wait the storm out?"

Kara shook her head. She'd considered the idea when the Turian personnel truck had begun losing contact with the Navsat. Benezia might have anticipated her arrival, but had no actual warning.

That had changed, however, the moment they entered the garage. The security station in the labs below would have registered an intrusion. She couldn't risk a delay. "We go in alone. I'm sorry."

Liara nodded, walking towards the far end of the garage. Kara couldn't imagine how she felt, and wished again that she'd not insisted on coming with. Whether or not it would have changed the outcome, at least she wouldn't have been part of it.

"Is she going to be okay?"

"I hope so, Tali," Kara sighed. She doubted that she would, under similar circumstances, but she was not an Asari, for all the difference that made.

"The comm array will have enough power to cut through the storm," Tali said. "I should be able to access it from up here. Should I go find a console?"

The garage, and the few other facilities that needed access to the surface, were isolated from the main facility, some two hundred meters below, surrounded by dense glacial ice. It was also the only route in or out of the labs, equipped with an independent generator, a direct link with the communications satellite, and the anti-air turret. Everything else was below—quarters for the staff, labs, and living space.

"Yes," Kara said, gesturing for the Quarian to lead the way. "Let's give her some time alone."

Tali opened the door to the rest of the facility, releasing a burst of warm air. The corridor beyond lit up as they passed through. "I don't really understand why she's here," the Quarian said, checking the first door they came to, and revealing a large storage room, empty but for a few rows of stacked crates. "I guess she wants to protect you, and I really do understand _that_. You're, um… I mean, I'm wondering why you let her come along."

Pulling off her mask, Kara frowned to herself, as Tali turned to check the first of several doors on the opposite side of the corridor. "Maybe I let my feelings for her compromise my judgement," she admitted softly. "I knew it was a risk."

"Is that all?" the Quarian asked, moving on to the next room.

It appeared to be a control room. Kara locked the door open, leaning on the frame, where she could keep an eye on the corridor, as Tali sat in front of the main panel. "She wouldn't be here if she hadn't insisted."

"I'd feel much better if we had backup," Tali said. "There… I've patched our comm frequency into the system. You should be able to contact the ship through your headset now."

"Thanks, Tali," Kara said, smiling softly. "Shepard to _Normandy_."

"Captain, at last. What's your status?"

Kara frowned in confusion—Garrus should have been on duty, but it was Kirrahe who replied. "We're inside Peak Fifteen, preparing to enter the labs. Where's Garrus?"

"He left in the _ke'val_, with Aoki and Wrex, when we lost contact with you."

And disobeyed direct orders to wait for her signal. "Tali, get that turret offline," she ordered sharply. She didn't know if Sayuri could successfully pilot the Salarian light vehicle through the storm, but there was no reason to let them get shot down instead. "Patch me through to them, Sevis."

"They're not responding," Kirrahe replied. "They pretended it was the weather. Sorry."

Kara smiled to herself; that sounded like an excuse Sayuri might attempt, though it didn't hold up to scrutiny. The _ke'val_'s transmitters had more than enough power to break through a snowstorm, a sign that the marine knew she would object. It wasn't that she didn't believe in soldiers using their own initiative. She had made a career out of it, much to the annoyance of her superiors, and she understood how they felt; from her perspective, it looked like a foolish risk, much as her own actions may have appeared, when they weren't simply inconvenient.

Garrus had probably encouraged Sayuri, if he hadn't suggested it himself—they were both supposed to be on the _Normandy_'s bridge—while Kara had expected Wrex to show better instincts. Perhaps leaving him in orbit hadn't been the best idea, but the alternative was to leave him on a ship full of Salarians, or to take him along, and she didn't care for either. "Anything else I should know about?"

"Repairs are proceeding according to plan. Nothing else of note."

That was something, at least. Kara sighed, and walked back to the garage. "Carry on, then."

Liara turned, as the door opened. "I'm ready," she said firmly. She walked quickly into the corridor. "Stop looking at me like that. I'm fine."

Kara frowned, but there wasn't much left for her to say. Repeat vague platitudes, until they were both sick of hearing her speak? That wasn't her style, no matter how desperate she felt. Instead, she let the Asari pass in silence, forcing herself to look away. Time to move on, before either of them had time for more thinking, and more worrying. "Tali?"

"I managed to route the turret control signal through a scrambler. It should take thirty minutes or so to get it back online," the Quarian said, her voice sounding of self-satisfaction. "I also found a map of the complex."

"Good work, Tali," Kara said, smiling softly. That was a clever way around the much more daunting task of breaking through the military-grade encryption which Noveria used on its defense systems, and less likely to get them in trouble.

"Thanks, Kara," the Qurian replied, sounding pleased, now. "If there's nothing else for me to do here, I'm ready to go."

* * *

><p>Kara shook her head, and turned away from the eviscerated Krogan, grateful for her mask. Even breathing filtered air, she could still taste the stink of his blood and organs, mingled with the shredded corpse of a female Turian. She couldn't tell which wounds had killed them, but the damage she saw hadn't been done by bullets. Someone had torn them apart, using a blade or other sharp object. Their weapons were missing, taken either by the mysterious attacker, or by their retreating comrades.<p>

"Is that… your ambush?" Tali asked, her voice sounding rather faint. "That's… ugh."

"Yes," Kara nodded. "They died just a few minutes ago, I'd guess."

They must have rushed into position after getting security alerts from the garage, though the barricades they'd died behind told of plans laid much earlier than that. The lift was a natural ambush point, offering little cover or mobility to those trapped inside.

"Whatever attacked them saved us from a difficult position," Liara noted, walking past the failed ambush. They were in a common room and dining area, according to Tali's map, half the tables overturned, the floor strewn with additional bodies.

"These are older, see?" the Asari continued, dragging her gloved hand across a blue-black bloodstain beneath a Turian corpse. It had dried completely. "And look, whatever attacked them came from the hot labs."

The placement of the bodies did suggested that most of them had died fleeing the security checkpoint at the far end of the room. The hot labs were half a kilometer away, reached by tram. The extra isolation was intended to contain dangerous research, rather than prevent access by unauthorized personnel, so that much made sense. Whatever project Binary Helix had going on, it had clearly escaped, overrunning the security station with no warning, and indiscriminately killing the scientists and technicians relaxing in the common room.

Readying her pistol, Kara approached the security station, checking bodies as she went. At first glance, the injuries were consistent with close-quarters fighting, mostly lacerations and blunt-force trauma. There were no signs of bullet wounds. She saw no enemy dead, so the enemy was either intelligent enough to clean up after itself, or strong enough to survive their wounds. That was if they were even the source of several unidentified orangish stains. She imagined that a proper investigation might reveal more, but, for the present at least, she saw nothing else to discover.

In practical terms, what she saw was another problem, waiting for someone to solve it. Because there was no one else, that someone became her, regardless of whether or not it was connected to her overall mission. She needed to find out what they were up against, and to locate Benezia, after which she could decide on an approach. The security station would have footage from cameras throughout the facility, including the tunnel to the hot labs, offering a glimpse of their mysterious foe, but it had already been overrun once. They were clearly employing hit-and-run tactics, and could return at any time.

Still, she believed it to be worth the risk, and continued her approach. A heavy impact had bent the door in its frame, until the left-side panel had been torn from its tracks, while the right side remained, battered but in place. Since the door was meant for cargo, as well as people, the opening was more than wide enough to pass through. She did so cautiously, checking for movement before gesturing for her squad to follow. A half-wall sheltered the far side of the room from the dark tram tunnel, where the car itself sat on a single rail, surrounded by a well-lit platform. "Tali, check the computer for Benezia's location, survivors, and some evidence as to what did this," she said, gesturing at an armored human corpse. There were five others, all mutilated, a Krogan and four Turians. They had set up a heavy machine gun, and evidently used it; there were definite spatters of orangish blood on the tunnel walls, but again, no other corpses. She wished she had though to bring an assault rifle along, and wondered if she couldn't find one nearby. "Liara, you'll keep watch."

Kara paused to examine the corpses more closely, but they revealed nothing new. They had died fighting the same foe as the others. According to Calis' assessment, that left twelve marines at most, probably holed up somewhere in the residential section with the surviving staff. If they were desperate and afraid enough, and Benezia was not at their back, they might just listen to reason, and accept her authority.

"Kara, look at this," Tali said. Her voice had taken on a distinctly disturbed tone.

Placing a reassuring hand on Tali's shoulder, Kara studied the image frozen on the display. There were several of the creatures, quadrupedal, with semi-upright bodies, and long arms that ended in a set of four opposable claws. The ability to manipulate the environment was a necessary precursor to the evolution of intelligence. She knew of only one sentient insectoid species, the long-extinct Rachni; Binary Helix must have discovered another. "So they were breeding an army down here."

"I can't believe they'd be so stupid," Tali muttered darkly. "Reviving the Rachni is like us recreating the Geth. Bosh'tets."

"Rachni?" Liara demanded sharply, casting a worried glance at the Quarian. "Are you sure?"

"That's what the guards said," Tali replied, backing the video up by about fifteen minutes. Two Turians appeared where the creature had been, watching the tunnel.

"—supposed to hold here. Spirits, if I'd know there were Rachni here, I'd never had signed up—"

Tali paused the vid. "I hate bugs," she declared dramatically.

"They used to make me nervous," Kara admitted, smiling softly. Her fear of insects—and it had started out as such—had come from growing up in a relatively sterile environment, and went away with exposure, but while Tali could say the same, the Quarians as a species had grown up on a world without them entirely; Rannoch's early insectoid life had died off in a natural disaster.

The Rachni, however, were something else entirely, a hive-based species with the intelligence and adaptability necessary to become a spacefaring civilization. Unfortunately, she had assumed that, like the Protheans, they were ancient history, and spent little time learning what few cultural details were known. More importantly, at present, she knew nothing about their tactics or capabilities. The STG would have access to that sort of information. "Shepard to _Normandy_."

"_Go ahead, Captain,_" Kirrahe replied, through her headset.

"Tali's sending you some images," Kara told him, waiting for the Quarian's acknowledging nod before she continued. "Confirm that what they show are Rachni, then get me a tactical assessment."

"_Did I hear that right, Captain?_" the Salarian inquired hastily.

"I'm having a hard time believing it myself," Kara said. It was the coincidences that bothered her, and not the Rachni themselves. Had Benezia deliberately released them, to bolster her limited forces; had she some means of controlling them? What if they were the reason why she had come—solely to set a trap for Saren's most threatening enemy?

Kirrahe muttered several Salarian profanities, emphasized with the solid thump of his fist against the _Normandy_ command console. "_The images are coming through now_."

While she waited, Kara walked to the security chief's office, on the far side of the room. The door was locked, and she brought up the proper software on her omnitool.

"_Confirmed, Captain_," Kirrahe sighed. "_They're Rachni soldiers. They use pheromonal and radio signals to coordinate in combat, but have only moderate intelligence. Unless a commander is present, don't expect sophisticated tactics._"

Kara smiled, as the locking mechanism disengaged, and the door slid open. "Commander?"

"_A more intelligent variation on the soldier; they were referred to as brood warriors. Provides tactical leadership to groups of soldiers, enabling Queens to focus on strategy._"

As she had hoped, the office contained a weapons locker. She pulled the latch, revealing an array of assault rifles, with only a few empty slots inside. "Any advice on how to kill them?" Kara asked, inspecting one of the weapons. The straight, functional lines suggested Salarian manufacture, confirmed by a string of blocky letters on the stock. In general, that meant higher accuracy at the cost of a low rate of fire, which fit her preferences nicely, but she wondered if a broader firing pattern wouldn't be more effective.

"_Have overwhelming numbers._"

"That's useful," Kara laughed. Two thousand years had passed since the War, during which the Council races had improved their technology considerably. The Rachni had not, and there was no evidence of them having access to technology at all.

"_Records on the Rachni war are extensive, not easily summarized_," Kirrahe snorted.

Probably true. The Salarians were diligent about keeping records, and the war had gone on for a hundred and sixty years—sixteen generations of dead. Kara frowned, as she checked over two more identical rifles. "Try."

Kirrahe sighed. "_Guerrilla-style attacks and ambushes were most effective, as the Salarian Army could not hold against their full strength. Asari troops were more successful, but never committed to the war in large numbers; biotics are a major advantage, as few Rachni are biotics capable. Strength and resilience of Krogan warriors is also effective_."

Kara didn't have an army of Krogan; she had only a single battlemaster, and that was only if he survived the storm. "What about anatomy," she asked, moving back out into the security checkpoint. "Any vulnerabilities?"

"_The Rachni have a rudimentary internal skeleton, and an exoskeleton adapted to protect vital areas. They were capable of resisting gunfire—_"

"Kara!" Liara's sharp cry interrupted Kirrahe's speech, and he stopped talking. "They're coming!"

Joining the Asari at the half-wall, Kara handed over one of her rifles as she studied the darkness; but she could see nothing. The Rachni must have been warm-blooded, visible to Liara's infrared sight. "We're falling back. Tali?"

"I'm ready," the Quarian replied, picking up her shotgun as she stood. She holstered the weapon, and caught the rifle Kara tossed to her.

"You first," Kara told her, turning to see Liara fire at something in the shadows; the creature let out a chittering cry of pain, but it didn't stop, and it wasn't alone. More Rachni appeared from the darkness. She drew her pistol, she focused on wrapping it in a warp field—an advanced technique which Kaliran had taught her. If done properly, it would interact with the mass effect fields inside the weapon, further decreasing the ammo shard's mass inside the barrel, and then inverting, resulting in a shard with greater effective mass, moving at a higher velocity. "You're next, Liara."

The Asari nodded, firing one last burst before she began to retreat. The lead Rachni collapsed, and didn't move again.

Kara lingered only a few moments, firing on the Rachni as they approached, before following her squad. The technique had worked, and seemed slightly more effective than Liara's assault rifle, but she didn't think it would be enough to hold them off.

She backed through the door just as the first Rachni entered the checkpoint. "Liara," she said sharply, generating a biotic singularity on the edge of the platform, dragging the hostile creature backwards.

The Asari nodded, watching as several more Rachni were dragged towards the center of the field; then she disrupted it, sending a shockwave of chaotic mass-shifts radiating outward. So-called biotic detonations didn't do much overt damage, unlike a chemical explosion, and they were more variable. They could shear open blood vessels, or sever nerves, like might have happened to one Rachni that had fallen over, twitching uncontrollably, or just toss them about, but the effective range was a meter or less, depending on the amount of energy put into it.

"Looks like we've slowed them down," Kara said, watching the Rachni with some interest. Two of them were standing over the still-twitching body of the other, as though wondering what to do about it. Did they know what biotics were? Or did they not understand what had just happened to them? "We can't stay here. Tali, did you find any survivors?"

"Through there," Tali replied quickly, pointing at a nearby door, on the west side of the hall. "They're defending a position just outside the quarters."

"We can't stay here," Kara said. The Rachni were getting agitated again, and might resume the attack at any moment. Now that she'd fought the creatures for herself, she believed strongly that recruiting the mercenaries was her best course of action. "We'll join—"

"_Shepard, are you there_?"

Kara sighed, and activated her comm; Garrus had chosen the worst possible moment to make contact. "I'm here. Are you in the garage?"

"_Yeah. Aoki and Wrex are here with me. We're just got in, and just that was a—_"

Tali had started firing, as the Rachni began to advance, while Liara attempted to slow them with more biotics. Six mercenaries with a heavy machine gun had failed to hold them back; how could the three of them be expected to do better? "We're under attack by Rachni," Kara snapped, cutting him off, "and we can't hold them for long. If you're coming, hurry."

"_Spirits, _Rachni_?_" the Turian replied incredulously. "_You sure_?"

Kara hissed, but said nothing. The insectoids were pressing them hard, and couldn't waste time answering his irritating doubts.

_"Sayuri, let's go. Now!_" Garrus shouted. "_We're on our way, Shepard._"

One of the Rachni charged the door, knocking Tali to the ground as it came through. The Quarian dropped her rifle, which slid out of reach. Kara rushed it, hitting it with biotically enhanced mass as it loomed over her, and fired several shots into its head as it tried to regain its balance.

Kara turned to see Tali blast yet another insectoid soldier with her shotgun, tearing through its armored exoskeleton. They had lost the door, though. Liara tossed an approaching Rachni at the opening, holding off reinforcements for long enough for the Quarian to regain her feet, while Kara picked off one of the creatures that had already come through.

"Fall back," Kara ordered. They were all firing everything they had, weapons and biotics both, and doing significant damage, but the enemy kept coming. Binary Helix wasn't breeding an army; they were already done. And it had escaped. She ejected the thermal clip from her pistol, and loaded another; Liara had already done the same.

"There's too many of them," Liara gasped, flinging the nearest Rachni at one of its comrades. "We have to go!"

She was right. They were falling back quickly, while fresh Rachni continued to appear and advance, stepping over their dead without apparent concern. This wasn't a battle they could win, but retreating into the living quarters would leave Garrus and the others to face it alone.

Only, she wasn't sure they could keep fighting long enough, as their weapons continued to overheat, and she ran out of energy for more biotics. "Alright," she sighed. "Get the door, Liara."

The Asari nodded, generating a singularity to help hold her side of the room, before she backed off. Kara followed slowly, gesturing that Tali should go next.

"Hold the lift, Garrus," she ordered, as she ducked through the door. Tali sealed and locked it behind them, but they all knew that it wouldn't hold the Rachni for long. Kara gestured that the Quarian should lead them onward.

"_Why? What's wrong?"_

"You'll be walking straight into an ambush," Kara told him flatly. "We're going to try and recruit some local help."

"_Come on, Shepard, if we both hit them at once—_"

"Garrus," Kara snapped, "I've made my decision." She felt lightheaded, herself, a sign that she needed an energy boost. Liara had already begun chewing on an energy bar. Behind them, they could hear the Rachni hammering on the door.

"_Yes, ma'am_," the Turian said sharply.

Kara sighed, turning to check on the door. It was badly bent, but still hung in its frame, with enough of a gap that she could see light and movement beyond it. On planets with a hostile environment, it was policy to make all main doors pressure sealed, so that a breach could be easily isolated. That made them slightly more resistant to physical attack. They had seconds, only, corridor was twenty meters long at most, and they were already nearing the end.

"Tali!"

"I'm fine," the Quarian replied, as Kara turned to see Liara helping her to her feet. "We need to keep moving."

Now that she had a chance to look, Kara noticed that Tali was favoring her right leg as she walked, but any speculation as to what injury she had suffered ended with a crash, as the door buckled and fell, and the Rachni swarmed through.

Liara pulled Tali's arm over her shoulder, supporting the Quarian as they continued to retreat. The door opened without resistance.

Kara frowned as half a dozen armored mercenaries, and at least as many armed civilians, all pointed their weapons at her.

"Hold your fire," someone shouted; a moment later, a male human rushed into the room through another door, a full helmet concealing all but a patch of dark skin around his eyes. "I dunno why you're here, Captain, and I don' fuckin' care. The bugs are my priority, so either lend a hand, or get outta the way.

That made for a refreshing surprise, Kara thought, even if he changed his mind and tried to kill her later on. She nodded at him. "Liara, Tali, get under cover. They're right behind us."

* * *

><p>The Rachni disappeared back down the corridor almost as quickly as they'd come, leaving Kara standing in the midst of dozen armed persons of dubious intent. She did precisely what any sensible person would do in her position, and ignored them, going instead to check on Tali; the young Quairan had collapsed in the middle of the fight, certainly due to some prior injury.<p>

"Kara? Did we win?" Tali asked, attempting to rise from where she sat against the wall, but she seemed not to be able to work her legs properly, and sank back with a muttered curse. "Sorry."

A cursory examination was enough to discover what had happened to her. A Rachni, probably the same one that had knocked her down outside the security post, had caught her leg with one of its claws, tearing open her suit, and leaving a deep gash in the dark skin of her thigh. It had missed her major artery, and was a moderate wound at worst, and easily treatable with a dash of medigel. The delay had given infection time to set in; its effects, and those of the antibiotic pumped into her body by her suit's medical systems, explained her condition.

"You should have told me, Tali," Kara sighed. "You put us all in danger."

"I didn't want to let you down," the Quarian muttered, her glowing eyes avoiding Kara's.

"You won't, so long as you act smart," Kara told Tali. She shook her head. If she had known what they'd be facing, she would never have brought a Quarian. Their immune systems made them then too vulnerable in close combat. "Let's get you taken care of."

"Yeah," Tali said, letting Kara help her to her feet.

Supporting Tali with the Quarian's arm over her shoulder, Kara turned to the man who had taken command of the mercenaries. He had removed his helmet, revealing a middle-aged face wearing a conflicted expression. "You've got a doctor?"

"Wha? Oh, yeah," he said, nodding faintly. She wondered what he was thinking. "This way, Captain."

He led her through one of the doors that led deeper into the living section, the same one he'd come out of before the battle. After a right turn the corridor continued onward, but the door straight ahead was labeled as leading to a clinic. Inside, they found a Turian female doctor, who quickly had Tali lie down on the examination table, and began examining her wound.

Kara turned to Liara, who had followed them without prompting. "Stay with Tali," she said quietly, gesturing at the mercenary leader. "I need to talk with our friend, here."

"Stay close," Liara said, touching her cheek softly, "and don't lose your temper."

"Hey," Kara smiled, clasping the Asari's hand briefly, "I never get angry."

Liara returned her smile, and stepped away, moving to Tali's side.

Kara started towards the other end of the room, gesturing that the mercenary should follow her. "Under the authority of the Council, I'm taking command," she said flatly, turning to face him. "You will place yourself and your squad at my disposal. Is this going to be a problem?"

"'ey, I was 'ired to protect the Company and its personnel," he said, shaking his head at her, "no' to play at politics. Best I can do is not interfere."

"Your chief is dead, right?" Kara asked.

The man nodded. "Died trying to hold off the first wave. A good man, for a Turian, but 'ee thought we could 'old off the bugs. I guess tha' Asari matriarch found a way, though—she 'asn't left the hot labs since she arrived. She sent orders to ambush you not an hour ago, and I guess you saw how that turned out. Lost 'is lieutenant, there. She fought like 'ell. Saved my life."

"You may not be aware, then, that as an agent of the Council, conducting an official investigation, clients of the NDC are obligated to cooperate with me. I can't do this without your help, and if they aren't stopped, the Rachni will eventually overrun your position."

"If I could just check in with HQ…" he frowned.

"They'd tell you to obey Benezia's orders. If you're worried about your job, you're better off making your choice without them."

"Easier to ask forgiveness than permission, eh? From what I've heard about Spectres, that sounds like their kind of logic, but I guess it works. Better than dying here. What is it you need us to do?"

* * *

><p>There you have it; another chapter. We hope you enjoyed it, and please feel oblig... <em>free<em> to leave a review.


	36. Loss

Long chapter. Longest that takes place in the present, actually. There was just so much that needed to happen, and I didn't want to push it off. Even so, I did, a little, as you'll see.

I had considered, at the time, using Ch.16(Maiden) to reflect more on Liara's relationship with her mother. Now I'm regretting that I didn't. Oh, well; I never really had any good ideas on what to say.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX<br>_Loss_

"You two," the Acting Security Chief shouted, picking out a pair of Turians, who eyed him with distaste, "get ovah to the security checkpoint. If the bugs come back, I wan' to know before they're chewing on my liver. Move, you fuckin' featherless turkeys, or I'll use you as bait!"

Kara shook her head, but said nothing. Since he'd agreed to help her, Elanus-RC Corporal Jossan Ventralis had been acting out his new role with flamboyant bravado. Given his rank with the organization, she assumed it was beyond his comfort-level, which helped explain his behavior, and the disrespect of the others, but the remaining mercenaries were all independents, making him the highest-ranking internal hire.

She also had more pressing concerns, most notably the Rachni. They had, for the third time at least, retreated not only from direct confrontation, but all the way to the hot labs, taking their dead with them. Again, she wondered why; respect, or instinct? Just how much intelligence did one of their soldiers have? Were they being led by the commander variant Kirrahe had mentioned, or something else?

"Shepard!" Garrus slapped her on the shoulder as she turned to face him. "What's going on down here? I don't see any Rachni. Where's Tali?"

"You will, Garrus," Kara told him. "Tali's suit was breached during the fight. She's down with an infection, but it's not serious, and she'll be fine. You'll be taking her place, so be ready. Sayuri—"

"Hold on, Shepard," Wrex interrupted. "If you're fighting Rachni, I want in. I'm gonna die of boredom if I don't get some action soon."

Kara frowned at him. "You and Sayuri are going to hold the tram station in the hot lab, Wrex. Endless waves of enemies, and nowhere to retreat—it should be just your thing."

"Let the drill sergeant handle that," Sayrui said, rudely gesturing at Ventralis. "I'm going with you."

Kara straightened, turning a firm gaze on the noncom. "Are you?"

Sayuri shifted to a posture of parade rest, her chin raised firmly. "Yes, ma'am."

There was every chance that Kara would have to fight her way past the same army of Rachni she needed Ventralis to hold off, and then there was Benezia and her commando. It wouldn't hurt to bring an extra person along. "Alright," she nodded, "but don't push me, Aoki. You've already got a lecture coming."

"Yes, ma'am," Sayuri snapped, every bit the proper marine, except for an amused light in her eyes. Kara had never been one for enforcing tight discipline, but nothing like this had ever happened under her command. She found she liked the change, at least in the Japanese woman, and hoped she didn't have to crack down.

"And what about me?" Wrex asked. He didn't voice the point, but his posture revealed that he wasn't keen on his own orders. Presumably, he wanted to rush headlong into the Rachni horde, like the battlemasters of old, but someone had to stay with the mercenaries. Krogan culture didn't glamorize war, so much as fighting, and the chance to fight against a worthy foe was difficult to for him to ignore.

"Jossan," Kara said sharply.

"Ma'am?" the mercenary said, standing to attention with a sharp salute; he'd served in the Alliance, she guessed, probably as a marine.

"I'm placing Wrex in command of your mercenaries," she said, gesturing at the Krogan. In part, because she didn't trust him, but he didn't have the respect of the others, either, or the necessary experience to lead the defense. She needed someone to hold the station, though, to divert the attention away from her hunt for Benezia, and to keep the Rachni contained in the hot labs.

"I can 'andle it myself, Captain," Ventralis snapped, his eyes alight with feigned indignation, but she did not miss the relief behind them.

Kara didn't know how much news he followed, and how much he knew about her, but Peak Fifteen had been cut off from outside contact for days. She was grateful for that; he couldn't know of the Alliance's charges against her, and she so she didn't have to deal with his response to them. He saw her as a temporary ally, though one he might have to fight, and did not quite know how to relate with her. And so, it seemed, he settled on a sort of masculine default; he tried to impress her. She understood the impulse, but found it patronizing; she was in command, and their relationship needed to form around that fact. "Wrex?"

The bulky Krogan drew himself up, and advanced on the man, looming over him. "I've got my mind set on slaughtering Rachi, Pyjack, but I'll start with you if I have to. Get your gear. We move out when Shepard says."

"Captain, I really think—"

Kara spared Ventralis a flat stare, cutting him off. She had no interest in debating her decision.

"Yes, sir," the man finished, though, by his tone, he had settled on resentful. She needed to give him, and the rest of the mercenaries, the best chance of survival that she could, as much for her own benefit as for theirs; the difficulty was convincing him of that. She didn't have the time, or inclination, to do so. She hoped it wouldn't cause trouble, but had a feeling that it would.

"Fighting off a Rachni horde and watching my back at the same time. Sounds like a challenge," Wrex laughed, as Ventralis moved off. "The sooner we get moving, the better."

"Yes," Kara agreed; it had been a long day for her already, and she preferred to end it quickly. "Let's get on with it."

* * *

><p>They were under attack almost as soon the tram came to a halt. Wrex led the charge, blasting away with his shotgun as he carved a path through the Rachni, while the rest of the mercenaries fought at his flank. Unlike the far end, the hot lab station was not designed for defense, with major corridors leading off in three direction, but they had brought along the heavy machine gun, which Ventralis worked to set up, and one of the Turians had some decent biotic technique.<p>

Kara and her team lent what aid they could, though she and Liara held their biotics in reserve. Sayuri was right up in front with Wrex, fighting grimly compared to the Krogan's cheerful violence. Garrus had climbed on top of the tram, sniping Rachni whenever a shot presented itself.

It seemed as though it took an eternity to push the enemy out of the room, but once they did, the attacks slowed. Thanks largely to Garrus' quick reflexes, they had suffered no serious injuries, just a few cuts.

"We're moving out, Wrex," Kara said, as the mercenaries busied themselves with tending their injuries and barricading the corridors with heavy supply crates. They had brought them over from the labs, at Ventralis' suggestion. "Can you hold out?"

"Don't doubt it, Shepard," the Krogan grinned. The Rachni would certainly counterattack, likely soon, and though their numbers were surely becoming depleted, she didn't know what forces they had left. There was also the possibility that they might be armed with looted weapons. "We beat worse odds than this on Virmire."

At the cost of sixteen dead, and that did not even count Saren's allies. Had it been worth it? How many lives was containing the Rachni worth? Some might say thousands, or even millions, just to prevent the possibility of a second Rachni War. Certainly, by that logic, twelve dead mercenaries were a low enough price, but in her mind, that was too much. Whoever was responsible for the project, even if that meant all of Binary Helix's senior leadership, should be forced to make amends, if that were at all possible; at the least, they could be prevented from making similar 'mistakes' in the future.

"Just try and keep everyone alive," Kara sighed. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

The map Tali had found included the hot labs, and Kara had managed to trace the source of Benezia's last transmission. They were headed for a small isolation lab on the far side of the fusion reactor. A corridor looped west, past a series of storage rooms, and another small lab; on the east side were the large rooms that she assumed were breeding and holding chambers for the Rachni soldiers. As long as their primary goal was retaking the tram station, she expected to have a relatively easy journey.

Only, they didn't. They had turned south again, and were halfway along the corridor, when the storage room doors began to open, one in front of them, and one behind. Kara disrupted the barriers of the first Geth platform that came out, and fired a shot into its head. More followed; she took down another, but there were already three others in the corridor, and her shields were in danger of being overwhelmed. "Sayuri, check that storage room," she snapped, gesturing at a door they had stopped next to, as she supplemented her defenses with a biotic barrier.

"Shit, it's locked," Sayuri swore. "Garrus, give me a hand."

"Hurry," Liara gasped. "I can't hold them off."

Kara knew how the Asari felt. Biotic barriers were exhausting, and difficult to maintain, and she couldn't disrupt the Geth's shields while keeping it up. She could feel herself weakening, and though she had switched to her assault rifle, it did little damage to the enemy. "Garrus…"

"Just a few more seconds, Shepard," he replied quickly.

Kara let go of her barrier, her shields turning full-on as they tried to counter the Geth assault.

"Got it!" Garrus exclaimed. "Shepard, let's go."

Kara threw herself through the opening, knocking Sayuri off her feet as she did. Her suit capacitors were at less than ten percent, just over a second of shield output. Rolling off the other woman, she breathed a sigh of relief to see Liara follow her, and then Garrus. The Turian took up a position next to the door, sniping at the Geth in an attempt to hold them back.

Mallene had said nothing about Geth accompanying Benezia, which would have been turned away by Port Hanshan security, unless they were smuggled in. She wished she had asked what volume of cargo the matriarch had brought in.

Kara stood, bracing herself against the wall as the world briefly faded out. She pulled her last energy bar from her pocket, and tore open the wrapper. "How many are there, Garrus?"

"Eight," he replied, leaning out as far as he dared. "Just as many on the other side, I'd guess."

Counting the two she'd already destroyed, that left six, which was still more than she remembered seeing, but that didn't make him wrong. Fourteen Geth was more than they could hope to deal with, trapped as they were; and even if they did succeed, would they be in any shape to take on an Asari commando squad? It was a frustratingly perfect ambush, and she should have seen it coming, but she hadn't, and she could think of only one solution. "Wrex, what's your status?"

"_You're missing out on one hell of a fight, Shepard,_" the Krogan replied. He had an almost cheerful quality to his voice, and there were sounds of battle in the background. "_But we're holding_."

"We're pinned down by Geth, and need support," Kara told him bluntly.

"_Geth, here?_" Wrex grunted. "_Ventralis; take two mercs and go after the Captain. The rest of you, keep firing! RAAARGH!_"

The distance from the tram station to the first corner was about twenty meters. Kara joined Sayuri by the door, and pulled a grenade from the marine's belt. She didn't anticipate it doing much damage—kinetic barriers were effective against shrapnel, and armor against heat—but it would scatter the AI platforms. Had she known what to expect, she would have searched the _Sorran_'s armory for EM pulse grenades.

She counted the seconds in her head, trying to anticipate when the mercenaries would arrive, and rolled the grenade into the group of Geth nearest the station with what she hoped would be perfect timing.

Three… two—she could hear Ventralis' anxious voice shouting commands, though not make out the words—one. The grenade exploded.

Garrus leaned out, firing several shots into the now-scattered Geth. "Five," he announced, ejecting the heat sink from his rifle, and replacing it with a fresh one.

The Geth were advancing from the opposite end of the hall, though, forcing Sayuri to press back against the wall. Kara desperately didn't want to waste her biotics, but she didn't have much choice, forcing herself to generate a singularity. The world dissolved into haze again; she struggled to maintain focus, even as her legs gave way.

Someone caught her, lowering her gently to the ground. Liara, she realized, as Sayuri and Garrus were still holding back the Geth. She hoped she had given them the time they needed; there was little else she could do, in her current state.

"Here, drink this," the young Asari said, pressing a packet to her lips.

Kara could smell the saccharine sweetness of an energy booster, but drank anyway, doing her best to ignore the taste. "Thank you," she said, smiling softly.

"Kara, you need rest," Liara said, sitting down beside her. "So do I. We could withdraw, and try again when the weather clears—"

"Shit," Sayuri yelped, flattening herself against the wall. She had apparently stayed in the line of fire too long, as her armor's exaggerated right breast showed several impact points, though the ceramic plate hadn't shattered. Kara leapt up to check on her. "I'm fine, I'm fine."

"Fine?" Kara inquired, slapping the battered plate. The marine winced. Her armor may have stopped the bullets, but she had still felt the impact. "The next shot might have gone right through you."

"Well, it didn't," Sayuri frowned. "Besides, your life is more important than mine."

Kara nearly bit her tongue. "No, it isn't," she said flatly. Not that she didn't understand the need to protect good leaders, both in and out of combat, but the sentiment had always made her uncomfortable. In a soldier, it reflected military discipline, but in a friend, it simply felt subservient. If Sayuri had declared her intention to protect someone she cared about, that would be different, but those weren't her words. She had to assume it was the intent behind them, though, as a hurt expression crept across the woman's round face. She sighed softly. "I'm sorry, Sayuri. It's been a long day. Are any of your emitters damaged?"

"Diag says a primary is out, but the backup is fine," the marine replied, with a quick, forgiving smile. "Barrier integrity is at full."

That, at least, was a relief. If the backup had taken damage as well, it would have left a small hole in Sayuri's kinetic barriers, at a very poor position. "Garrus, how are things out there?" Kara asked, noting that the Turian had switched to his assault rifle.

"Two on this side, five on the other. I'm out of clips, though."

They could beat seven, Kara decided, though she had no tricks left. Simply brute force. Drawing her own rifle, Kara took up Sayuri's position, next to the door.

* * *

><p>Kara knelt over the remains of the final Geth. The way it twitched, the light behind its camera-eye flickering, it seemed as though it was clinging to life, as any organic would. Ordinarily, she imagined, the bits of interacting code that were the Geth could flee a failing platform, seeking refuge in the Consensus, but she could tell that this was different. They were cut off by Noveria's isolation, alone and unsupported, with nowhere to go. With their hardware frame shut down, they died, as irretrievably as any organic creature. She wondered if they were capable of fear, or if she only imagined the desperation in its eye.<p>

She didn't suppose that it mattered. Whether they felt the emotion or not, they desired continued existence, or there would have been no Uprising. According to Quarian legend, it had started with a question; 'does this unit have a soul?' A curious question for an emotionless AI, as the existence of souls was posited by emotion, not logic, as a response to another question; 'what happens to me when I die?' Had these Geth pondered the answer, as they fell?

"Captain Shepard?" Ventralis said, leaning over her shoulder. "Ma'am?"

Kara rose with the sigh, and turned on the mercenary. "Thanks for the help, Jossan, but you'd better get back to station. They're probably hard pressed."

"Corporal, wait," Sayuri interrupted, taking Kara by the arm and leading her a short distance away. "Liara's right, Kara. None of us are in much shape to go on. If you won't consider retreat, we should at least bring them with."

"And get them killed?" Kara replied. The trio of mercenaries had done well enough against the Geth, and could help against the Rachni, but Asari commandos were a different class of enemy, and she had only enough antibiotic barriers for her squad.

"I just don't get you sometimes, Shepard," the marine frowned, "but I guess I can't argue with you. You are wrong, though."

Sayuri and finished up with a smile, and Kara returned it dryly. "Thanks for your support," she said softly, "but don't forget, these mercenaries are under Benezia's command. Do you really want to put them in the same room as her?"

The woman's grey eyes widened slightly, and she shook her head. "I hadn't thought of that."

Kara placed her hand on the marine's shoulder, briefly, before turning to the mercenary. "Carry on, Corporal. Tell Wrex that if we're not back in half an hour, he's to withdrawn to the main lab, and wait for Marreth to arrive with the rest of the squad.

"Yes, ma'am!" Ventralis said, throwing her a sharp salute. She nodded in return, and he collect his squad and moved off.

"Garrus, Liara?" Kara said, glancing at her other two squadmates.

"Ready, Shepard," Garrus said. He had retrieved his used thermal clips, she noted, now that they had partially cooled. Liara simply met her gaze with an anxious smile and a slight nod.

"Then let's go."

* * *

><p>The first thing Kara noticed, upon entering the lab, was the tank that occupied most of the far wall. The creature inside was undoubtedly a Rachni, though ten times as large as the soldier's they'd fended off earlier, and with significant differences in form. It lay still, the steady motion of its breathing the only sign of life. She wondered if it was a queen, or something else, but again, her knowledge of the species faltered.<p>

In front of it, silhouetted by the lights in the tank, an Asari stood on a raised platform, dressed in commando armor. "Did you know," she said in a low, soft voice, utterly unconcerned by their intrusion, "that a Rachni queen can encode memories in chemical strands, which are passed on and added to, from one generation to the next? Can you imagine the possibilities?"

Rachni civilization, reborn out of near extinction? A repeat of the wars would be appalling, but it would take decades of labor and breeding before they could threaten the Council races. That wasn't Saren's plan; nor was some form of peaceful coexistence.

"Did you think to give me pause, by bringing her here?" the Asari said, turning away from the queen. Kara recognized her face from the Council's records, and Liara's memory; it was definitely Benezia. "Do you believe she could turn me from Saren's will?"

"It was my choice, _kerta_, not hers," Liara said harshly, her voice so full of mixed emotions it was difficult to pick them out. "I wanted to believe that you were still fighting him. That you would laugh, and tell me I was being young and foolish for not trusting you."

"And now you will die here," Benezia said, as though she were speaking of a cold fact, and not of killing her own daughter. She was Indoctrinated then; not so heavily as the broken Salarians they'd seen on Virmire, but more like Saren, her reasoning adjusted to make Sovereign's reasoning seem infallible. "Along with your lover. Have you ever faced an Asari commando squad before, Captain? So few humans have."

"Think about what you're doing here, _suréathe_," Kara said softly, meeting the elder Asari's cold gaze. Her eyes were so like Liara's; the same blue, and the same fierce intensity. "Saren will get us all killed if he isn't stopped, down to the last Asari child, and you're helping him? He's controlling your mind."

Benezia's expression hardened further, her eyes lit with cold rage. "You lie! His plan is to save us all."

The Matraich struck out with her biotics, the attack dispersing against Kara's shields. At the same time, the overhead lights snapped on, revealing five more Asari, all wearing similar armor. One of them unclipped a grenade from her belt, and threw it.

Kara moved quickly to deflect it, but the device passed unaffected through the biotic field. It wasn't an explosive, she realized, too late to do anything but try to escape its effective range, but an illegal antibiotic grenade, first invented by the Salarians almost two thousand years ago. Rather than detonating, they generated a mass effect field designed to cause lethal feedback in any nearby biotic user, temporarily incapacitating them. They had been abolished in Council space at the request of the Asari government, after the Krogan rebellion.

The device went off. Kara cried out, as waves of agony raked her body, and she fell.

* * *

><p>She did not black out, or didn't think that she had, though she felt numb, her mind working only slowly. She couldn't move at all, but could feel that her arms were twisted painfully behind her back, held there by one of the commandos. Or they were tied, she decided, as the Asari grabbed her hair, forcing her head back.<p>

"The mighty Kara Shepard," Benezia sneered, looming over her, "so easily beaten. The Salarians still manufacture those wonderful devices, you know, in case they ever go to war with the Republic. Even with his connections, Saren found it difficult to acquire one, but it was worth it, don't you agree?"

Kara managed a pathetic groan in reply. The commando's fist in her hair felt as thought it would tear her skull open.

"Let her go!" Liara cried. She was still alive then, Kara realized with relief. She must has escaped the blast entirely. Garrus and Sayuri would not have been effected at all, but were clearly out of the fight, if they were even still alive.

"She's going to die here, Liara," the Matriach snapped, moving to address her daughter. "Reconcile yourself to that. If you pledge yourself to Saren, though, your life can be spared. He's on Ilos right now, but he wishes to know if that was a deception. Are you sure the visions were of Ilos?"

"No," Liara stated softly, but Kara had seen her certainty. It was unlikely that Benezia would believe it either.

"Lie to me again," the elder Asari said, her voice low and menacing, "and I will rip it from your mind, but first, I will flay _her_ mind to shreds, and she will die in agony."

"Yes," Liara breathed, so softly that Kara could barely make it out. If Saren were really there already, her continued defiance would have mattered little.

"Good." Benezia's voice sounded suddenly warm, as though she were a caring mother again. "I'm sorry Shepard has to die, Liara. I will make it quick."

Strange that, as the Asari Matriarch pointed a pistol at her head—her own, Kara noted—her thoughts were of Liara and Brynja, and the days they wouldn't have together. The laughter, smiles and tears, and everything, insignificant and grand, that might have filled their lives. She did resent her failure to save the galaxy, but it seemed like such a minor thing. She raised her face, as much as she could, meeting her killer's eyes with defiance. At least she would die as she lived.

"No!" Liara shouted. From her vicinity, an Asari grunted in pain.

Benezia turned, her eyes widening in surprise, as her daughter tackled her. The gun went off, but the shot

As they struggled, Kara attempted to free herself. Her strength was returning, but her position was awkward, and she could not focus her biotics. At least the commando let go of her hair, if only to better secure her arms, giving her first real chance to see the aftermath of their earlier confrontation. Sayuri was lying on the floor, not far from her, unconscious, or dead. She guessed that the marine had fallen defending her, after the grenade had gone off. One of the commandos lay near her.

Garrus, though, was conscious, and fighting back. He had freed himself and, though he could not hold them for long, taken on Liara's guard and his own at once, and barely holding on.

There was one more commando, Kara realized. She had removed her helmet, and was watching the fight between Liara and her mother with a deeply troubled expression on her pale, purple face. Why hadn't she acted to protect the Matriarch?

Because she didn't need to, Kara decided. Garrus was down, knocked unconscious by one of his opponents, while Benezia had gained the upper hand. She had Liara pinned to the floor, the younger Asari struggling weakly against the hands about her throat.

"_Suréathe_, no!" the last commando shouted, her expression turned horrified, pulling the Matriarch off Liara. "She's your daughter."

Benezia was too far gone to care, as the other two commando's dragged the purple Asari off her. "Hold her," she snapped.

What she hadn't seen, though, was that during the momentary distraction, Liara had snatched the discarded pistol. As she moved to resume her assault, a single shot rang out.

Benezia's expression turned confused. At such close range, barriers and armor were no defense, not even against small arms fire. Liara tossed the gun aside, whimpering in horror as her mother collapsed into her arms.

Kara wanted to rush to Liara's side, to hold her, even if there was nothing she could say. She had never wanted, would never even have considered placing anyone in that position, forcing them to chose between a parent and a lover. It didn't matter that they weren't close, or how much time they had to prepare themselves, it was simply too cruel.

As she watched, the Matriarch whispered something, too soft to hear, and then went still. Liara sat, stunned and unmoving. Tears stained her cheeks.

"Stand down." The soft voice belonged to the purple Asari, directed at the commandos who held her.

"Stand down," she repeated, more sharply, though it did not conceal the pain in her voice. They obeyed uncertainly. Free, she tried to put a comforting arm around Liara's shoulder, speaking softly to the young Asari.

Liara shrugged her off. "You caused this," she snapped, though she appeared to recognize the older Asari. An old associate of the Matriarch? "Get away from me."

Kara tried again to free herself, but again, her captor simply wrenched her arms more painfully behind her.

"Let her go," the purple Asari said. Her eyes were a deep green, sorrowful and uncertain. They were not _Indoctrinated_, though, Kara realized in surprise. They held too much expression for that, and it fit her actions. From what she had seen, Indoctrinated individuals did not question their superiors. As if to prove the point the commando obeyed without a word.

Unsupported, Kara toppled forward, into the purple Asari's grip. "Thanks," she said, softly, as she was helped to her feet. She was in no mood to be vindictive, or to lay blame; however tragic, the situation was resolved. "What's your name?"

"Shiala. Captain Shepard, I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"Call me Kara."

"—I didn't know," Shiala finished. If she were not Indoctrinated, then that seemed likely. Proximity to Benezia, and the information that brought, would not have left her free to rebel, and it seemed unlikely that she would have aided Saren's cause at all, had she known the truth.

"You can explain everything later," Kara replied, pausing to kneel over Sayuri. The marine was still breathing, she noticed, letting out a sigh of relief. She needed to check in with Wrex, as well, but that would have to wait. "Shiala, can you control the Rachni?"

"We can talk to the Queen, a little," the Asari said, glancing at the sentient insectoid trapped in the glass cage. Had it endured six months there, isolated and alone, poked and prodded by creatures it couldn't understand? Did it know what fate had befallen its species? "The others, they just react, but they avoid _her_."

Kara stood, pulling off her gloves. There was still one thing left to ask. "Do you know the location of Relay 112?"

"I don't, no. _Suréathe_ Benezia never even told me why she came here."

Not unexpected, but not helpful, either. Kara sighed, and stumbled over to Liara, touching the Asari's shoulder as she sat. She would have to check Benezia's omnitool for the information she needed, but that would come later. She had other questions, too, of the sort the Council might prefer that she not ask, but breeding Rachni wasn't the sort of project a corporation attempted on its own. "Hey."

Liara turned, a weak smile forming on her lips. "Is it done?" she asked quietly, leaning into Kara's embrace.

"Yes," Kara whispered, brushing moisture from her lover's cheek. No, and she wished she could spare as much time as the Asari needed, but Wrex and the others were still in danger.

xxxx

"Spirits," Garrus groaned, rubbing his bruised face. "What's happening? Oh, crap."

Kara sighed. It was, she supposed, a sign that she needed to get back to work. A few quiet minutes with Liara had at least given her some rest, but not enough. Yet the rest of the universe, or even the room, could not be expected to wait for her. "I'd better check on him, love," she whispered, placing a kiss on the young Asari's crests.

"Yes," Liara agreed, extricating herself from Kara's arms. Her tears had stopped, but the sorrow behind her eyes was impossible to ignore. "Let me help."

Kara nodded, rising to her feet, and offering her hand to the Asari. She knew that Liara wasn't done mourning, but a small distraction couldn't hurt. She would need to provide plenty more, in the days to come. "Why don't you see to Garrus."

Liara looked down at her mother's body, and nodded briefly. The front of her armor was dark with the Matriarch's blood, across her chest and stomach mostly. It was still wet, glistening in the light, and would certainly be difficult to remove, but Kara felt and obligation, there. It was too harsh of a reminder.

"Go on," Kara said, smiling softly. Garrus had more or less recovered, so it was mostly too late, though he was monitoring the commandos with deep concern. Still, Liara moved to join him.

Kara knelt over Benezia's body. "Shiala."

"Kara?" the purple Asari replied. She had kept herself out of the way—thinking, most likely—since Kara had sat down with Liara.

"I'd like the commandos disarmed," Kara replied, lifting Benezia's left arm, and opening the armored panel that protected her omnitool.

"I don't think—"

"How well did you know Benezia, Shiala?" Kara asked, detaching the device and sliding it into a pocket. Some resistance was not surprising, nor uncertainty as to which side to take. She stood, turning to meet the Asari's green eyes. "Would you have ever believed that she might try to strangle her own daughter?"

"No," Shiala replied, this time with certainty. "I studied with her for almost a hundred years, and she hated violence."

Liara would have been in her mid-teens, at the time, a little over midway through her childhood, and probably very cute. She struggled not to smile at the thought. "Saren's ship has the ability to manipulate minds," she said softly. "_Suréathe_ Benezia was effected. So would anyone who went with her."

Shiala lowered her head. "I wondered why they seemed so different."

"If you're worried about them," Kara continued, "the best thing you can do is cooperate. They'll be taken back to the Citadel, unharmed. A Council research team is looking for a way to prevent, and hopefully reverse, the process."

The could use the Matriarch's body, as well, Kara realized. There was always a chance that an autopsy might catch something that a scan of a living brain would miss. It could be frozen, and shipped back on the _Sorran_, along with the commandos.

"Do you think… maybe she sent me away to keep me safe?"

That was a possibility, and an insightful idea. It suggested that, somehow, Benezia had fought her Sovereign for control of her mind, and won some victories along the way. "I don't know. I'd like to think so. The commandos?"

"Yes, okay," Shiala replied, meeting Kara's eyes again, briefly, before she turned away.

Kara sat again, picking up her pistol. Liara had discarded it quickly, and she had not felt an urgent need to reclaim it. She'd been using the same pistol since getting her N7 rating, more than two years before; it was the Alliance's top-of-the-line model, specially designed for biotic commandos, its low rate of fire balanced by power and accuracy. She switched on her headset, as she checked the weapon for damage. It had taken a beating over the years, certainly, but she'd never had cause to associate it with unpleasant memories. "You still there, Wrex?"

"_Shepard_," Wrex said, his gruff voice soft with relief. "_I figured you were dead._"

"And you cared?" Kara inquired.

The Krogan laughed. "_Don't be ridiculous, Shepard. I just figured that was why the Rachni gave up. Worst disappointment I've had in decades._"

Kara looked over at the Queen, still watching them silently from inside her cage. How would Wrex respond, if he knew of her existence? Concern over the threat she posed? With the Genophage still in effect, the Krogan could not fight another Rachni war. "Maybe you killed them all."

"_Maybe. Got two dead mercs, and two badly injured, but the rest of us can still fight._"

"Alright," Kara sighed. Another two lives lost in her name. "Hold position, and let me know if you're attacked again. We have a few things to resolve here."

"_Got it,_" Wrex grunted.

Kara frowned at the pistol. Looking at it, she saw herself, watching as her lover was forced to shoot her own mother. It had been many years since she'd felt that helpless. Fourteen, she supposed—since she'd been caught by that gang on the Citadel, when she'd almost despaired. She'd found her strength, then, and escaped without serious injury, but today she had failed the most important person in her life.

Angrily, she locked the safety, and tossed the weapon aside. It clattered against the floor.

"You okay?"

Kara nodded, weakly meeting Garrus' eyes. She didn't feel it, though.

"Look, Shepard, Liara filled me in on what I missed, and it wasn't your fault," the Turian said, offering her his hand. "We've just got to figure out what Benezia was after."

His words did not help, but Kara knew better than to despair, and let him pull her to her feet. The most obvious place to start, after the Matriarch's omnitool, was the subject of the lab itself, and she was already taking one of them with her. "It's time I talked with the Queen," she said. "Garrus, I want you to download everything you can from the hot labs' database, particularly research and comm logs, and budget if you can find it."

"No problem," the Turian replied, checking to see that Shiala wasn't close, "but, um, won't that anger the Council?"

Probably. Kara shrugged. "When have I ever let that stop me?"

"Never," Garrus grinned, his mandibles flaring widely. "Still, you need to be more careful. Without them at your back, you could end up in a cell."

"Kara? What should I do with these?"

Turning, Kara found Shiala standing beside her with an armful of weaponry. "Garrus, would you see to them?" she asked, taking one of the pistols off the top. Unlike the utilitarian aesthetic of Alliance equipment, Asari preferred smooth, flowing curves, but their designs were no less deadly. She wrapped her hand around the barrel, and fired a shot at the wall. She felt hardly a tingle, but then, they had practiced element zero engineering almost as long as they had used electricity; well-optimized field nodes were hardly a surprise. She locked it onto the clamp at her hip. "I'll keep this."

"Uh, sure," the Turian said, eying the Asari with mistrust. "Put them over there."

He had pointed towards the workstation that afforded him the best view of the room, Kara noted as they moved off. She couldn't blame him for his caution, either. The commandos were discomfiting, silent and still as statues, waiting for orders. At least it proved that Sovereign was unable to control them directly across light-years, though, in fact, it made her wonder if there were not two types of Indoctrination; a more subtle influence that changed a few thoughts at a basic level, causing a person to consciously support the unsupportable, and one that forcibly subordinated their entire will to their master.

With Garrus recovered, Liara had gone to Sayuri's side, and Kara joined her there. She had the marine's hand clutched tightly in hers. "Will she be alright?"

"Yes," Kara said, smiling firmly. Running her fingers across Sayuri's skull, she found bruising indicative of a firm blow, much like Garrus. Turians had harder heads, though. Best would be to let her come round on her own. "She just needs a little time. I'm about to speak with the Queen; join me?"

"That sounds fascinating," Liara said, even managing a smile. A spark of real interest revealed itself in her eyes, and Kara touched her cheek gently.

They rose together, leaving Sayuri where they lay. Kara felt a little guilty at that, and waved at Garrus. "If she starts to stir…"

"I'll take care of her," the Turian agreed.

Liara pointed at a console set up a little off to the side, separate from most of the workstations, and within the Rachni's field of view. "That must be how they communicate," she said. Kara let her investigate, watching over her shoulder as she brought up the word list.

The Queen stirred, even before they tried to speak to it, though Kara wondered if that were even an accurate metaphor. If they spoke in radio signals, who could say that they used words at all? Perhaps they communicated in images, showing, rather than telling. In any case, the list was far too short to ask anything as complex as the location of a Relay, and interpret the response.

"_Suréathe_ Benezia melded with it," Shiala said quietly, appearing beside them. "She was not kind."

Interesting. Kara would have expected difficulties even on that level, but it was less impossible than using the comm system. "Could you—"

"No!" Liara snapped, glaring at the older Asari. "I'll do it."

Not even waiting for a response, Liara stomped over to the cage. There was an access port in the glass, near the end, which she opened; the Rachni shied away, snapping its mandibles at her.

Kara moved closer to the console, thinking that she might be able to communicate something to calm it down. "You were friends?" she asked Shiala, noting the pained expression that lingered on the Asari's face.

"I met her when I first started studying with _Suréathe_ Benezia," Shiala replied. "She was almost twenty at the time, and quite shy, but very endearing. I tutored her, a little, and I believe she was fond of me."

Kara jumbled together a sketchy sentence about not meaning any harm, and pressed send. The Queen responded with visible uncertainty, but it had seen, and maybe understood, what just happened between her and Benezia. "She'll forgive you, Shiala."

"I should have been more careful," the Asari responded harshly. "I should have seen that something had gone wrong."

The console displayed its translation of the Queen's response, though there were too many gaps to make much of it. She did gather than Benezia had told it the same thing. "With what?"

"She joined Saren in the hopes of saving lives."

From what Kara had read of Benezia's earlier beliefs, she didn't doubt it. The Matriarch had advocated a less isolationist stance for the Asari Republic, but never a violent solution when diplomacy was a possibility. Actively helping bring about the Reapers' threatened genocide was not a natural change of mind.

And how could she put into words, with such a limited vocabulary, her own intentions? Absent speech, the only communication between her and the Queen was through actions, and why should it trust its new jailor? Freedom might convince it, but that was a heavy risk. Maybe too much, when Benezia's omnitool might contain the information she needed. Then again, peace required trust, sometimes blind trust. Her own life would be in danger, and everyone else at Peak Fifteen, but the Rachni could not survive Noveria without support.

"Set her free, Liara," she said softly.

Liara turned around, shocked, but their eye's met, and the hers softened. There would be consequences, like anything. Maybe dire, but still she trusted, pressing a different button on the controls, and moving out of the way.

Rather slowly, the clamps unlocked, and the front panel lifted outward. The Rachni queen watched them cautiously, but, when they made no move against her, it crawled out of its cage, rearing up with its first set of legs waving in the air. They ended in something more like a hand than a claw. Satisfied with her attempt to intimidate them, she sank back onto all six legs, and turned cautiously towards Liara.

So the Queen understood, then, what Kara intended, and seemed to accept it. "Try again, Liara."

The Asari nodded, cautious in her approach, but the Queen remained still. Finally, they touched.

"She's… she's _singing_ to me," Liara gasped her eyes closed, her bare hand resting near the base of one of the Rachni's long, almost prehensile antennae. "In color. She's so sad…"

Kara switched off her translator, and moved slowly closer, until she could take her lover's hand. One layer of translation could cause trouble enough—she did not need two.

"_Kara, she remembers the war. Her egg was laid at the end… after so much death. The elders sang of a sour chord, yellow, like disease… or corruption. It tainted the entire song. She was to be their hope._"

Only something went wrong, as it often did. The Queen wouldn't know of that, though. She would only know that she was born in a lab, held captive by the same species that had destroyed her own. "_Ask her about Benezia._"

"_Yes… yes, the Relay. I can hear it… I think I can find it, Kara. She thinks that you are Queen, here, and… she wants to know how your song goes?_"

Queen? It made sense, that the Rachni would look at their social structure, and see her own. "_I can't sing in a way she'd understand._"

"_No, she… oh. She wants to know what happens next._"

Kara studied the Queen in silence. Even if the Rachni were still a threat to galactic peace, she despised genocide. It didn't matter to her what the Council thought—they would object, of course—the only course of action she could take was to set them free. "_We're letting her go. Shiala, did Benezia have a ship?_"

"_Yes, a private transport—_"

Garrus' shouting interrupted Shiala's reply, Kara didn't speak his language, just a smattering of a different Turian dialect. "What was that?" she asked, turning her translator back on.

"I think I found out what you wanted to know, Shepard," Garrus repeated. "An STG scout found the egg. In a stasis pod on a derelict ship, by the sound of it. This lab is funded by the Salarian Union."

* * *

><p>Yes, I know. Cliffhanger. In the end, I decided that I didn't like the 'shooting people breaks their Indoctrination' idea, if that explains some of the changes. Also, I didn't want the traditional 'thank you for killing me' line. So what did Benezia whisper, at the end?<p>

Thanks for reading, leave a review. We appreciate them. I'm estimating four more chapters to go. Yay!


	37. Confrontation

Hello again, everyone. I didn't end the last chapter with a cliffhanger, did I? I hate it when people do that.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN<br>_Confrontation_

The tram car rode swiftly along its single track, the tunnel outside the windows black, and passing silently. Kara had ordered Wrex to fall back with the mercenaries to their former position in the habitat section. Tali had sabotaged the cameras. They were leaving behind a fusion reactor set to overload, incinerating the hot labs, along with the remaining Rachni soldiers, before burying what remained in ice. If all went as a planned, the rest of the galaxy would assume that the Queen had died with them.

Kara laid her cheek against Liara's crests, and sighed softly. The Asari had curled up against her, and now stared, dry-eyed, at Benezia's body, which they had laid out on the floor of the car. Her squad occupied the rest of the seats, with Shiala and the other four Asari commandos opposite them. Sayuri had recovered, looking battered and unhappy, dividing frequent glances between the commandos, and the Rachni Queen, which filled most of the open cargo compartment.

The Council would not be pleased, even though the mission had been a success. She had found Relay 112 to Ilos, and could finally track down and confront Saren for a second time. Through Benezia, she had some idea of Saren's plans; an attack on the Citadel by the Heretic Geth, led by Sovereign, and likely to begin as soon as the recovery of the Conduit made possible.

She would have liked to have some idea what the Conduit was, and why the Reapers needed it, but she could at least lay plans to stop them. Even if Saren were to start the journey from Ilos immediately, it would take almost ten days to reach the Citadel—time enough for the Council to rally its fleets. No doubt they would find strength enough to stop Sovereign and its allies, no matter how powerful it was. By the time she reached the _Normandy_, however, she doubted she'd be in much condition to write up a report; she could already feel exhaustion wearing at her thoughts, and there were some issues that would require careful consideration.

She should have been able to anticipate them. Any corporation would require the backing of a major power to begin a project as potentially catastrophic as breeding Rachni, for protection if things went wrong, and to guarantee a revenue stream. The Salarians were the obvious choice; they had uplifted the Krogan as disposable troops, and were always on the lookout for anything that could bolster their infantry. Rumors about their experiments on the more intimidating non-sapient life forms were frequent enough to suggest at least some truth, though they could never be verified. Combined with the unasked for assignment of a STG frigate to assist her, she should have suspected them, at least.

The tram decelerated rapidly, as it closed in on the station. She had already given out orders, so there wasn't much left for her to do, simply nodding at Garrus.

"Let's go, Aoki," the Turian said, rising to his feet. He added a gesture at Benezia's corpse, as he leveled an unfriendly glare at Shiala. "You, bring her."

It was surely an irony that Kara found herself working comfortably with one of Saren's associates, while she mistrusted her own first officer, but Shiala had spared her life, and since cooperated without objection. Kirrahe had given her no reason to doubt him, either, but she had made no attempt to cut him off from STG Command. He had gone up against them before, and at her urging, but only in a small way; not to disobey orders. That was, she suspected, what she would ask of him next, and she could not predict in what direction he would go.

The four commandos had lifted their fallen mistress between them, following Garrus and Shiala out onto the platform. Kara and Liara went next, carrying a box full of the commando's discarded weapons, in their well-armed funeral procession, with the Rachni Queen taking up the rear, like a strange honor guard. They lacked only a display of the proper colors, and some better livery, to make the scene complete. She would eventually make her way to the _Sorran_, which had the facilities to preserve her body on the journey back to the Citadel, and a brig in which to lock her guards.

Shiala, however, would not be going back. At least, not yet. The recent damage to the _Normandy_'s stealth systems was not well known, nor the fact that, due to blue-shifting, the ship could always be detected upon exiting a Relay. Kara had to assume that they'd be jumping into a blockade, and she wasn't sure her ship could survive another battle. However, Ilos was outside the comm network, which would keep the news of Benezia's death from reaching Saren. The Matriarch's ship would be recognized by the Geth, and allowed to pass unhindered.

When they reached the lift, everyone crowded in but Sayuri and the Queen, and they began their ascent. The Queen would follow them up, and the marine would bring Wrex and Tali back to the _Normandy_ in the _ke'val_, once the rest of them were clear. Shiala had arranged for Benezia's ship to be moved, and it waited for them, or soon would, just outside the garage. The purple Asari had confirmed that the ship's cargo hold had room enough for the Rachni, which took care of another concern.

The lift doors opened, and Kara strapped on her mask as everyone moved out into the corridor.

* * *

><p>"Captain Shepard," Kirrahe said, nodding at her as she emerged from the airlock. Benezia's ship was docked with the <em>Normandy<em>, and following her was everything that needed returning to the Citadel; the Queen and Shiala remained behind. "Captain Marreth wants to speak with you. He says it's urgent."

Kara brushed her fingers through her hair, and nodded. She knew it couldn't be avoided, and couldn't wait for her to rest. "Send him to the comm room, as soon we dock with the _Sorran_. And tell Orlanis I want everything back onboard as soon as possible."

She waited for his acknowledgement, then turned to follow Liara, and got halfway along the command deck before she stopped. She wasn't thinking, it seemed; she needed to confront Kirrahe now, before his fellow STG captain arrived, and hopefully reason with him. "We need to talk, Sevis," she said, catching his eye and gesturing towards the comm room. "Garrus, take over."

Kara waited until Kirrahe had passed her, and followed him through the CIC. "Captain?" he asked, turning to face her, when they had entered the comm room.

"Binary Helix had outside backing in their research into the Rachni," Kara said quietly, meeting the Salarian's gaze. "It was an STG team that found the preserved egg, and the Union helped fund the project."

His first reaction was one of disbelief, and he studied her face carefully, looking for signs of deception. He founded none, of course. "Politicians… still looking to replace Krogan troops on the front lines, but forget how that turned out. Intelligence work is supposed to be our first line of defense, not bodies." He paused, turning his wandering gaze back upon her. "What are you going to do?"

"I haven't decided," Kara sighed. She didn't even have an idea, beyond giving it to Emily for publishing; for anything more, she needed time, and a chance to study the files for additional information. The Salarian Union had its share of factions, each looking for advantage; it was plausible that one of the major Houses might have led the project on their own.

"You think Marreth was sent to stop you from accessing these records," Kirrahe said, his expression. The other captain had admitted that his orders included monitor her, and it wasn't too great a leap of logic from there to interfering. "You think he knew about the Rachni."

"He's given me no reason to think that ill of him." If Marreth had let her walk into danger, without even telling her what she might face, then he had put the lives of her team at risk, and the mission as well. She didn't see what she could've done differently, if she was unwilling to wait for the weather to clear, but there were small ways in which she might have been better prepared. Not taking Tali, who was more vulnerable to injury than most, was a start, and seeing that they were more appropriately supplied with rifles and extra thermal clips.

Kara shook her head, and returned her attention to the present. "I'm telling you this now, Sevis, because I need to know what side you're on."

"… side?"

"You know I can't let this pass unmarked," she said softly. It was the sort of thing that could split the Council, if not treated with care, and she didn't like that idea; whatever its flaws, the alliance had largely kept the peace. Its breakup would likely be followed by war.

"Yes. I don't…" he paused, frowning. Perhaps he thought her too careless in going after the Systems Alliance, but its stability was not his concern; the Salarian Union was. Now that her attention had fallen on his own people, his attitude might change. "I can't go along with this, Captain. If you pass the records on to the Council, they will censure the Union as they feel best, but I can't let you to take this up yourself."

It was the same old debate, that she hadn't the right, or the authority. No one did, by design, which was why she had to take it upon herself to reveal the truth. "If the Salarian Union really is a democracy, then they can't be keeping this sort of secret."

Kara smiled faintly, noticing his look of uncertainly. "You don't have to come to any conclusions right now, Sevis," she said.

"How about a deal, Captain. I'll continue to serve until Saren is stopped, and you'll give the Council a chance to do their job."

It would take about six days to reach Ilos, and hopefully only a little longer to finish her mission. She would prefer that the Council races spent that time preparing for Sovereign's planned assault on the Citadel, rather than attempting to contain a political crises, so it made sense to wait. And in the end, the data would be no less damning for the delay. She nodded slowly. "Agreed."

Kirrahe returned her nod, still frowning slightly. "As that's settled, maybe you should go below, get some rest. I'll explain things to Marreth."

"No," Kara replied firmly. She wished she could accept, but she worried about how things might go without her. Kirrahe did not really have the authority to order around his fellow captain, after all. "Just make sure everyone is transferred back."

The Salarian left, after acknowledging his orders, and Kara sank into the nearest chair. She tried to still her mind, to take what rest she could, though the tenseness of the moment made it difficult. The _Sorran_ was likely maneuvering to dock, if it hadn't already, and she would be too soon interrupted. There would be no debate, she decided, and no pretense. She was tired of explaining herself to every damned fool that crossed her path; she just wanted it done.

The door slid open. Kara kept her eyes closed, and did not turn to greet her guest. She drew a deep breath, and waited for him to speak.

"Captain Shepard," Marreth began, his voice sharper than she remembered. She wondered if he'd spent the last five hours fending off the military and elected officials of the Salarian Union, all upset that she'd gone in unescorted, and stressing the absolute necessity of preventing her unhampered escape. That was more of a human scenario, actually; his culture regard bureaucracy highly enough to not violate the chain of command. "Captain Shepard?"

Kara sighed; the Salarian was standing over her. She opened her eyes, staring up at him. He certainly loomed over her, for whatever good it did him. "Yes?"

"Orders from the Council," he explained. "You are to hand over all Binary Helix files stolen from Peak Fifteen."

Kara stood, her face just a few centimeters from the Salarian. So she was a thief now, when any rational person would agree that an investigation was warranted. Since the database had been destroyed along with the lab, the decision to download their contents was entirely justified, and absolutely necessary. Giving that last remaining copy to a representative of the very criminals she now wanted to expose was absurd. "No."

Marreth turned away. "I've authorization to use force. Not good for anyone, but worse for you. The mission is already limping. Losses would be crippling."

Though he had a point, Kara did not believe the Council would give that order. They knew Saren had to be stopped, and they knew how she reacted to threats. "Authorization from whom?"

"Director Rellisec." Who else would have the knowledge and authority? "He said to remind you that you owe him. For Terra Nova, and Captain Kirrahe."

So Rellisec thought he had her from all sides. Only, it was all bluster. He hadn't ordered the use of force, he had _authorized_ it, and likely told Marreth not to start anything. Any overt move on their part would appear suspicious. "Threats and favors. I think the Director is trying to hide something."

"The STG is secretive by nature," Marreth shrugged. "Not my business to question Headquarters. You see only your part; they see the galaxy as a whole."

Kara sighed. She had decided not to argue, yet it was such an old habit for her, and so easy to fall in to, that she had begun without thinking. Even if she continued, what did she say? Unlike Kirrahe, Marreth hadn't worked with her long enough to know her at all, and he had likely been prepared for any argument she might make. He trusted the chain of command, and it would take serious evidence of corruption to shake his faith. She had nothing of the kind. "Even if you're right, Selek, there has to be a line somewhere. So you can either go back to your ship in peace, or prepare for a fight. I won't back down."

"Orders from the Council are to let you off with a warning," Marreth muttered, "but be warned; we will not tolerate any attacks on our government, from you or anyone."

She would just have to make sure the damage was done, before anyone could organize a response. First, though, she had to finish with Saren. "Save your threats," she frowned, returning to her chair, "and go."

* * *

><p>It was another hour before her crew finished transferring their gear from the <em>Sorran<em>, and the _Normandy_ departed, and another half hour before Kara could find time to remove her armor and take a quick shower. Altogether, it was past zero-six hundred before she stumbled into her cabin. Liara was still awake—Thessia's days were three hours and thirty-six minutes longer than Earth's, which demanded some flexibility from both of them—sitting half-undressed on their narrow bed.

"Hey," Kara said, sitting beside Asari. If her lover needed her, she would find the energy for a brief chat, but she didn't think she could manage more than that. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm…" Liara began, pausing uncertainly, and laid her head on Kara's shoulder. "I just don't want to be alone."

"I wish things had worked out better," Kara said softly. "I'm sorry."

"I'd like to blame you," the young Asari admitted. "It would be so easy. It's my fault, though. I should have been faster, or smarter. I should have been able to talk to her."

"Maybe that's just another horror of the Reapers," Kara said, "twisting our friends and family and using them against us, and maybe death is the only help we can offer. It's a frightening prospect. If it helps, what happened to your mother might save anyone else from the same fate."

Liara sighed softly, raising her head. "It does," she said, turning Kara's face with a hand on her cheek, and pressing a soft kiss on her lips. "Thank you. I'd say we should have sex, but you look exhausted."

Was that a good sign, Kara wondered, or just the Asari reaching out? It didn't matter much, she supposed, as she was too tired to give proper attention anyway. She laughed, and returned the kiss. "It's still a hard offer to refuse, Liara," she said, the translator between them suddenly awkward.

Kara pulled off her omnitool, and tossed her shirt after it, letting her lover's arms encircle her, as they lay down together. The feel of the Asari's firm body against her, holding her close, tempted her to turn, and offer one last consolation. More than consolation, she hoped; redemption, perhaps. Whatever Liara needed. "_I love you_."

Strong arms closed more tightly around her. It was acknowledgement enough for her, she decided, letting herself drift off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Kara disentangled herself from her lover with some regret, leaving the attractive young Asari spread across their bed, with a most smug expression across her blue face. Their morning—though she was fairly certain it had taken place <em>after<em> midday—intimacy had been… intense. And exquisite. She stretched languidly, before leaning down to sort through their clothes.

"_You're not leaving me… are you?_" Liara punctuated the question with a series of kisses, trailing upward along her spine, and a rough hand on her thigh.

Laughing, Kara shifted the Asari's hand to a more neutral location, further down her leg. Not that she wouldn't have enjoyed a reprise, but she did have a ship to attend to, and first watch—which she was supposed to spend in the CIC—was more than half over. "_No,_" she said, smiling over her shoulder, _"you're coming with me. I need you to enter coordinates for Relay 112._"

Liara adopted a slight pout as she sat up, accepting the trousers that Kara passed her. Her finger, poking into her lover's side, was more teasing. "_Kara…_"

The Asari's tone was serious enough that Kara stopped her sorting, and turned. "Hm?"

"_I know you. You feel guilty for what happened,_" Liara said. Sitting there, still naked, with Kara's hand held gently in hers, she almost looked at peace. "_I'm glad you didn't let it come between us._"

"_I do_," Kara admitted, "_but I love you. I couldn't leave you alone, when you needed me._"

The Asari began to dress, in the clothes Kara passed her. "_I want to go to Ilos with you, and not just to keep you safe. We don't know what might be down there, and a smart captain would bring along her Prothean expert._"

"_I agree_," Kara said, pulling on her boots. She hadn't given the issue much thought, yet, but Liara and Garrus would be her first choice, and probably Sayuri with the _ke'val_. All of them knew about the Rachni Queen, which bypassed that concern. She straightened her shirt, doing up the buttons, before strapping on her omnitool. "Let's go."

* * *

><p>"… would have taken the <em>Normandy<em> down after you, but Kirrahe wouldn't let me on the bridge," Jeff exclaimed, gesturing enthusiastically. Said he was tired of… 'absurd, barely-evolved primitives who don't follow orders.' I think I'm offended."

Kara might have laughed, if she weren't distracted by other matters. In particular, the fact that Brynja was ignoring her, though she was not certain what she had done wrong. Conflict was an inevitable part of any relationship, but theirs was too fragile to survive the usual silence and resentment. "Sounds fair to me."

"What? Me, barely evolved? I'm a paragon of humanity, or something, you know. Brynja, back me up here."

The blond snorted, but offered no other response. One of the most difficult aspects of life on a frigate, for most people, was finding places to be alone, to escape the conflicts that arose in almost any group when trapped for a long period of time. Kara wasn't immune, and had been known to hide out in cargo bays and storage rooms, before she inherited the captain's cabin.

"Oh, yeah. Right. Frat boy," Jeff grumbled. "You know what, Cap'n? I think she's got a worse sense of humor than you do."

"So, are the repairs completed to your satisfaction?" Kara asked, ignoring his comment. She liked to think that she simply had a better taste in jokes.

"She's back to flyin' like a dream," Moreau grinned, "though if its the big, gaping holes in the hull you mean, Adams slapped a few plate of civilian grade over them. It isn't pretty, though."

The standard hull for most civilian freighters had only minor resistance to kinetic impacts, and even less to the thermal effects of a GARDIAN laser. The _Normandy_ would be doing no more fighting, but the repairs were enough to secure the ship for atmospheric entry, according to Adams' report. He had even managed to fix up the hull refrigeration system, though the new plating did not have the thermal conductivity of the original hull, or the radar absorbent properties, giving them medium-range stealth capabilities. Not enough to get them through Relay 112 undetected, but the ship had never been capable of that.

Combined with Benezia's identification codes, however, they could get past the Geth, and disappear into FTL. The old charts of the system, from before the Rachni war, were enough to make it worth the risk, and then it would be down to the difficult task of locating Saren on the surface, before he found the Conduit. Not knowing what it was, she had no hope of finding it first.

"Oh… goddess, frat boy, it's a ship, not your girlfriend. Stop fondling the controls already."

That was sharper than Kara expected, and she frowned at the blond. "Brynja."

"Jeez," Jeff muttered. "Must be that time of the month."

He hadn't turned to see Brynja's embarrassed expression, but that was hardly an excuse. Kara gripped her shoulder tightly, as a deeper flush spread across her face.

"Both of you, stop talking," Kara ordered flatly. "That was out of line, Jeff. And Brynja, I can fight my own battles. Now, figure out some way to work together, because I don't have time to solve your disputes."

Jeff hunched over his controls, and said nothing, but Brynja met her gaze with anger and frustration. "Understood, ma'am."

It wasn't about the pilot at all, Kara realized. Brynja had taken a disliking to him, but her aggressive response was meant to attract attention.

From her. Kara sighed, and turned her back on the blond. It wasn't attractive, and she didn't want to encourage it, but she was also aware that Brynja deserved some of her time. She had to make space, between duty and Liara, difficult as that was.

Duty first, though; she had a report to finish.

* * *

><p>"Captain," Ehigha said, rising to greet her as she entered the sickbay. Unlike the engineering staff, which could usually find some part that needed adjustment, medical officers spent most of their on their own projects, or brushing up on the latest techiques. An average of maybe one person a day by looking for help, and they were mostly minor cases. "If you're looking for Liara, you'll find her in back. She's… well, I don't know. Not interested in talking about it. I started studying Asari psychology, but they're not as much like us as they appear."<p>

Some version of what happened on Noveria had probably been passed around the ship, though no witnesses to the moment of Benezia's death. Kara hadn't heard it herself, but the popular story probably include some heroics on her part; breaking free from confinement, rescuing Liara, and a desperate struggle with the Matriarch, culminating in the fatal shot. Romanticized, they might call it, but she saw nothing romantic about either scenario.

"They don't process grief quite like we do," Kara replied, gesturing that he should return to his seat, as she leaned against the edge of his. It wasn't an aspect of their society that she'd seen or studied, but she knew they were more capable of suppressing their emotions, and focusing on the present. "Let me worry about her, though. I wanted to ask you how the crew is holding together."

The young doctor scratched at his thin beard. "They'll make it through the mission, if that's why you're asking. After that, they're all gonna need time to relax, and sort out their lives. The Alliance won't pay for it, so I expect that you will."

Kara nodded. The future of the human crew, far more than the aliens, was her responsibility. She had been the one who ended their former lives. "Anyone you think I should talk to?"

"You know I can't answer that, sir," Ehigha said.

"It wasn't that difficult a question."

"You know what I mean, sir," he frowned. "They come to me in confidence."

Kara smiled, shifting to the other chair. "You don't seem too worried about your own future, Ehigha."

The man shrugged. "There are plenty of small colonies, out where the Alliance doesn't mean much. Most could use a good doctor. It may not be what I dreamed of as a child, but I believe I can adapt."

Kara was not keen on so remote a life. She had considered the Citadel, and the variety of lives and cultures there held some appeal, but honestly she preferred a planet, one away from other humans. "That's a good way to disappear."

"Yes, I suppose," Ehigha sighed. "I don't want to go through life on your support crew."

"I respect that," Kara replied softly. No one had ever done anything of note without help, but history rarely remembered anyone but the protagonist. There was no shame in wanting to stand out in a story of his own.

"Well, you've got to stop Saren, first," the man said. "And God knows what the Alliance will look like, when that's done. You could say that it's a bit early to be thinking about a peaceful retirement."

Balak's crew would be back in Batarian space, by now. A week or two might pass, as they decided what to do with the information they carried, and another week while they waited for the right time to act. The Alliance could head them off by making the revelation themselves, and prosecuting a few officials to calm public outrage. It would not appease the Hegemony, of course, but it might preserve the government.

As for her, a quiet retirement, or at least continued exile, seemed unavoidable. She had no desire to enter politics herself, not wanting the scrutiny that came with it, and she could not imagine any politician wanting to employ her, with her history of revealing secrets.

"I'm sure you'll do some good, Ehigha. I think that's all that matters."

"Is that what you've done, Captain?"

Kara smiled, as she stood. Unlike medicine, where saving a life was an immediate good, her own actions were less clear. They effected far more than a single life, and the potential consequences ranged from a quiet reorganization, follow by a return to the status quo, all the way to civil war and revolution. Much depended on the beliefs and actions of large sections of the human species. Still, her actions stood on their own merit, regardless of what happened after. Her choice had been the right one. "Excuse me."

Ehigha gave her an odd look, perhaps wondering why she hadn't responded, then he nodded. "Sir."

Kara walked back into the mess, as the doctor returned to his work. She trusted that Liara would find her, if her lover felt the need for company, and she really did need to spend some time with Brynja. The blond wasn't at the table, but she recognized the short, dark hair and stylish clothes of Emily Wong, sitting across from Ashley. There was another conversation she needed to have.

"Hey," Ashley said, looking up as she approached. "Uh, how's it going?"

"It's complicated, Ash," Kara replied, sitting across from the marine. "Waiting for the Council to contact me. What about you?"

"Bored," Ashley admitted. "Another month of this, and I'll _really_ start to miss Eden Prime."

"I was doing some research," Emily remarked. "Frigate crews are usually rotated out after two about months. Longer times tend to cause… issues."

The young reporter had left that hanging rather dramatically, Kara noted. It was a matter of too many people, in too small a space, without enough privacy or distraction. "Focus on your training, and get plenty of exercise. It relieves stress, and helps pass the time."

"I wouldn't mind going on another mission," the marine suggested. "On the last one, I got stuck on a ship with a bunch of Salarians, and they kept glaring at me every time I went to pee."

"They were just worried about their secrets," the reporter said, smirking at Ashley.

"I take it you had a productive time, Emily?" Kara inquired. Unless she misinterpreted the younger woman's expression, something interesting had happened at Port Hanshan, while she had been clearing Peak Fifteen.

Emily's grin widened. "I did learn a few things," she said. "Did you know that Matriarch Benezia brought several crates through the Port, but the scanners were disabled, so they weren't checked for weapons? I wasn't able to find out much more about her, or Binary Helix, unfortunately."

That explained the Geth presence, something Kara hadn't yet managed. She had assumed that some sort of shielding had been used, perhaps Reaper technology, but simple corruption was far simpler, and no less effective. "I didn't," Kara admitted. "That's helpful, Emily. Thank you."

"Well, for getting me in, and back out…" the journalist said. It had been clear from the start that she had her own purpose on Noveria, some lead to follow through on; Kara hadn't asked, and didn't plan to. "Are you going to tell me what you found, down there? Garrus mentioned _Rachni_, but that's crazy."

"And true," Kara replied. That the Rachni were being given a second chance was something she intended to keep quiet, lest the news inspire waves of Krogan hunting parties. If there was to be peace, the Queen needed safety, and time to rebuild her people, and then they needed a way to communicate their intent to the rest of the galaxy. Hopefully, Shiala would consent to be their voice.

"Ah," Emily said, "and now we're off to confront Saren?"

Kara nodded. "That's right."

"This is so exciting," she grinned, "the climax of an epic hunt, our Turian prey trapped amidst the ruins of an ancient civilization, his only hope a race of genocidal machine gods. She leaned across the table, fake whispering to Ashley;

"They should make a vid."

Kara rolled her eyes. Apparently, everyone had decided it was a good day to bait her; unfortunately, the editing required to make her a satisfactory heroine—skinny, busty, and vapid—would make it hardly worth using her name. Kaiden could be her secret intellectual support, the brains(and brawn) behind her good looks, until his untimely death on Virmire left her to the dastardly influence of the villainous mastermind Garrus, whose secret plot to destroy the Alliance would be foiled at the last moment by none other than Jeffrey 'Joker' Moreau, the _Normandy_'s pilot. Finally, in the epic climax, Joker uses his ace skills and the superior design of his ship to singlehandedly destroy the Geth dreadnaught Sovereign, after it had destroyed most of the Citadel fleet. With his Geth master's greatest weapon destroyed, Saren's secret attraction to the heroine could prove his downfall, when, with her beaten and crying for her life, his hesitation gave her time to pull a pistol stored(where else) in her copious cleavage, and shoot him through the head.

"You hear about these 'based on a true story' things," Ashley said, clearly not enthusiastic about the idea herself, "and, yeah, everything but the names are changed. I'm with the Captain on this one."

"You're no fun," Emily said, pulling a mocking face at the marine, before turning to Kara. "So, Saren is on Ilos, right? How much do we know about what's going on? How are you going to find him?"

"Yes, and not enough," Kara replied. "I'm relying on Brynja to have a brilliant idea."

"Then I won't disappoint you."

Kara smiled over her shoulder at her blond operations officer. "I know."

Brynja sighed, avoiding her gaze. "Can we talk, Kara? In private?"

Nodding farewell to Emily and Ash, Kara stood, leading the blond to her cabin.

* * *

><p>"Sometimes I get jealous," Brynja sighed, her face still downturned as she leaned against the door. "I don't mean to, and I know I don't own you, but… if you want this to work, I need… more of… <em>you<em>. I don't even mean sex, just… anything. Talking, relaxing… fighting Rachni—though that would be you rescuing me from Rachni, mostly. Probably not attractive, like my babbling, and I just… I—"

Kara ran her fingers through the younger woman's silvery hair, before lifting her chin gently and pressing a kiss against her lips. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Brynja hands rose to settle and Kara's hips, her smile cautiously teasing. "… how sorry?"

"Enough to do better," Kara breathed. "Tell me what you want, right now, and we'll do it."

"About that…" Brynja began, her eyes downcast, and a faint blush creeping across her face. "Joker was half-right. Maybe in a few days we can… if you aren't… ugh…"

"Relax, Brynja," Kara smiled. This wasn't the first time a lover had put her off because of their cycle, even though she hadn't been expecting sex to begin with. "I know it happens."

"So, maybe a vid?" the blond, with a small, grateful smile. "Your favorite vid. And a cuddle."

"Have a seat," Kara said, gesturing at the bed. She had done it before, with Liara; set the holodisplay on her console to maximum size, and turn the projector slightly. The speakers were basic, but functional. "So, what's going on between you and Jeff?"

"Hm?" The question appeared to take her off guard, and she frowned. "It's nothing."

Kara sighed, and sat next to the blond. Particularly on frigates, where the Alliance psychiatrists helped to select crews and minimize conflict, major issues did not often arise. Of course, they couldn't catch everything, and she wasn't sure how thoroughly screened the _Normandy_'s crew had been. "I'm sure."

Brynja's eyes narrowed, to match the downturned curve of her lips. "It won't happen again, okay? Now, can we not talk about this?"

Kara nodded. Whatever the problem was, ignoring it wasn't a solution, but it might hold for long enough, or continue to grate until she had no choice but to separate them.

Either way, she probably should have pushed, but she wanted their time together to be pleasant. It was already bound to be too short.

* * *

><p>And another chapter ends. I guess now we know how the Rachni Queen got off Noveria.<p>

Thanks once again for reading, and leave a review if you're so inclined.


	38. Interlude IV

Yes, that's right; another chapter before Ilos. And so soon after the last one. I started writing yet another section for_ The Wanderer_, as well. It may seem strange, but writing back story, myths, legends… I find that it helps me focus.

Updated 21-8: This was one of those weeks where I realized that last scene needed a bit more than it had. That's what I get for always running up against deadlines.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT<br>_Interlude IV_

"Captain, the Executive Board of Binary Helix has already sent a formal complaint us a formal complaint about your behavior," Valern said, his holoprojected image frowning disapprovingly at her. She had been expecting Sparatus to speak for them, despite the Salarian's controlling share in the corporation. It was more circumspect. "Not only did you did you destroy a valuable lab facility, they have evidence that you accessed files not relevant to your mission."

That was an interesting accusation. She had never reengaged Peak Fifteen's communications linkup with the outside; they could not know what she had or hadn't accessed, now that the facility was destroyed. If they found out, it could only be because an STG officer had informed them, hoping that their objection would carry some weight. "I thought my mission was to protect galactic stability," Kara replied calmly. It was early morning on the Citadel, and late evening on the _Normandy_, which she took as confirmation that the Council accepted the urgency of her report, though they interrupted what had been a pleasantly casual conversation with Brynja. "Finding out who intended to revive the Rachni, as a _weapon_ no less, is hardly outside that mandate—don't you agree, Councillor Valern?"

"No," he snapped, his frown only deepening. He _knew_, then. "If this were the first incident, I might be argue for leniency, but you show a constant disregard for the privacy of corporate interests, which this Council has chosen to respect. You were not concerned with exposing whoever had backed Binary Helix in this project—this is about your own unwillingness to follow our instructions, and finding any excuse to disregard them."

"I think she has a point, for once," Sparatus admitted. "Reviving the Rachni is bad enough, but enslaving a sentient species is against everything this Council stands for. Who funded this foolish enterprise, Shepard?"

"Do you want to tell him, Valern, or should I?" Kara asked. It may not have been the best move on her part, judging from Sparatus' annoyed glower. With Valern's expression darkening further, she was going to need his support.

"Tellin?" Adar asked. Her expression was cold, and directed at her Salarian counterpart.

"I don't know what she's talking about," he said, a sharp edge to his voice.

Kara sighed. He did, though, she was sure of that, which didn't mean she could prove it. "I'm sending the decryption command for the archive attached to my report," she said, bringing up her omnitool. She could sent the files under the standard encryption protocols, but she preferred to make her case in person. "Inside, you'll find evidence linking the Salarian Union to the Rachni project, through the STG."

All three Councillors fell silent, as they briefly studied the information she provided. "There is too much data here for a quick judgement," Adar said, her eyes meeting Kara's through the projector. "If you're correct, there will be harsh consequences for the Salarian Union. Until then, I must insist that you take no further action in this matter. Is that clear, Captain?"

"Of course," Kara nodded. It matched her agreement with Kirrahe, anyway, and she trusted Adar to share her outrage. "What about Sovereign? I assume you're taking this threat seriously?"

"Fleets are being mobilized, Shepard," Sparatus replied. "Quietly. The Reaper will be trapped and destroyed."

"Because of that, we have a slight change to your orders, Kara," Adar continued. "Follow Saren, and learn what you can about the Conduit, but do not attempt to capture him, or prevent him from leaving with it. He must believe that his plans are undiscovered, and that his attack can still succeed."

That made sense; stop Saren on Ilos, and Sovereign would simply retreat, and lay new plans, which might go undetected until too late. She was not so foolish as to assume it would mean the end of the Reapers, but it would diminish their advantage. "I'll do my best."

"Make sure that you do," Sparatus said. "Now, if there's nothing else, we've business to attend to."

"No, nothing," Kara replied. Except for one thing.

With a final nod, Sparatus' image dissolved, with Valern following swiftly. Adar, however, remained seated. "I've been thinking about why you might want to speak to me privately," the Asari said softly, "and I believe I know; you spared the Rachni Queen."

"Yes. And?"

"And what?" Adar asked. "It's a decision with long-term consequences, none of which may even be realized within your lifetime. It was moral, Kara, but it may still be wrong."

Morality against pragmatism was an old argument, one which often became an excuse for not even trying the better, and more difficult, option. In this case, the potential for galactic war and billions of dead made for a powerful point against her, but she hadn't acted only on her unwillingness to commit genocide. Kara leaned in close to the camera. "I spoke with her," she replied. "She remembers what happened, how a corruption tainted their song—their speech. They were driven to war, Adar. Perhaps by Sovereign; I don't know, but we have to give her a chance."

"Not that you intend to give us a choice," the Asari said, smiling wryly. "I hope you've reminded her of a point you once raised before us; that without communication, peace is impossible."

That had been about the Geth Consensus, reaching out to distance itself from the rogue units that served Sovereign. It had been good advice then, and remained so now. The Queen could not rely on strength, when privateers and adventurers inevitably came for her, chasing the equally inevitable rumors. She needed the protection of the Council, who could confirm her existence and her intentions, and give her license to protect her colony.

"I think she understands that," Kara said, "but I'll relay the message."

"Good," Adar said. "As horrific as a second Rachni war would be, no one wants a second genocide. I'll see to it that the full Council is informed, Captain. You are relieved of that responsibility."

"Councillor," Kara nodded gratefully. She hadn't expected the Asari to offer political cover, or to feel quite so much relief to know she still had an ally. She had felt ready, even happy, to end her career over the affair, and now she wasn't as certain. As much as she disliked admitting it, the role of Council Spectre suited her, and she had always shown a talent for digging up the truth—though, going forward would put her and her crew in ever-increasing personal danger from sabotage and assassins. She wouldn't be surprised if Cerberus, or another Alliance-affiliated interest, had put a bounty on her head already, and the Salarians now had cause to do the same.

"We'll speak again after Sovereign is defeated, Kara," the Asari said. "I hope we'll have cause to celebrate."

How many people would die, battling the Reaper? A typical dreadnought had over a thousand people aboard, and they would field as many as could be quietly mustered. A fleet of cruisers and frigates would accompany them, to assist as they could, and to engage the Geth. The casualty count would quickly add up, if they couldn't achieve a quick victory. "So do I," she sighed.

Adar gave her a final nod, and closed the channel. Kara leaned back in her chair. She found herself wondering about the point behind the Reaper's repeated genocides, and where they had come from. Was it as simple as an AI gone rogue? Or something more complex, the solution to some perceived problem, or necessitated by their design?

Speculation on the point was useless, though. She had no reliable information, and the answer would never be an adequate justification for their slaughter. Perhaps the truth could be salvaged from Sovereign's corpse, if only to satisfy her curiosity. Until it was destroyed, though, she had more important things to worry about.

* * *

><p>One of the difficulties of a multi-species crew, beyond the necessary variety of supplies, was coordinating work-shifts. Salarians, on their own ships, worked on a rotation of one and a half shifts per twenty-one and a half hour day. Turian crews made good use of their nineteen hours of wakefulness, spending half on duty, and the other on relaxing close-combat exercises. Asari ships had four shifts, about seven hours each.<p>

Of all the races Kara knew well, though, the Quarians were the least compatible. On their homeworld, the extreme temperatures of night and day had made them creatures of the margins, laboring during the comfortable hours of the mornings and evenings, and sleeping during the extremes, a tradition they had maintained during their exile. Add an extra eight hours to their day, and it became no surprise that Tali kept an odd schedule, in order to stay prepared for her shift.

Given that they worked different shifts, they did not often cross paths unless Kara sought her out in Engineering. So it was something of a surprise when she appeared on the command deck, about an hour before the end of first watch. She circled the central station slowly, as though nervous about something.

Kara turned to greet her, as she approached, offering the Quarian a friendly smile. "Tali."

"Captain," the Quarian sighed, leaning her arms against the console. Discontented, by the slouch in her posture. There was a visible patch on her armor, where the Rachni's claw had cut through the tough fabric, and into her thigh, but the infection that came with it had passed.

"Is something wrong?"

"No, not really," Tali replied, shaking her head. Her expression, if only it was visible behind her mask, might have revealed more of what she was really feeling.

Kara laid her hand on the Quarian's shoulder. "You're thinking of home."

"No… all the time," Tali sighed again. "It's this stupid suit, mostly. You know, we don't wear them on our home ships, so I guess they make us double outsiders, when we do leave. I never really noticed, until… well, it was just a burden, and then—"

"You started to feel like you belonged," Kara finished. She knew how it felt to be an outsider, though she had considered it exciting. She would have quickly come to resent the suit as a barrier to integration. No touching, or kisses, or sex, Tali had not so much as felt someone's bare hand against hers for at least three months. "I wish I could help."

"No, you are… I mean, it's nice to have someone to talk to. Someone who'll at least try to understand. It's Sepehr, right? He keeps flirting with me. I know he's not serious, but that what makes it _fun_. I don't get nervous and start babbling, but I can't flirt back, either, because of this idiotic suit."

Sepehr was a charming, thoughtful man, but he did tend to flirt with anything that moved, a passion that wasn't limited by species. He knew when to back off, though, and didn't press his attentions where they weren't wanted.

"I'm terrible at casual flirting," Kara admitted, smiling faintly as she turned to check the ship's status. "Just keep your tone light, and I think he'll understand."

"I just… I really don't want it becoming serious," the Quarian sighed. "I get uncomfortable enough as it is, sometimes, and… maybe I should have him stop."

It sounded as though Tali found Sepehr more interesting that she wanted to admit. Did he feel the same? Kara didn't know him well enough to guess; she didn't think he meant anyone harm, at least. "And?"

"You don't have any advice?"

Kara shook her head. She suspected Sepehr of being mostly interested in sex, while Tali wanted love. "If you want the experience, talk to him, and see if he's interested. If you're looking for a relationship, you should trust your instinct."

"Thanks, Kara," the Quarian said, catching her in an affectionate hug.

* * *

><p>The mood of the crew had improved noticeably, as rumor that they were headed to Ilos circulated. She had made no announcement, but answered truthfully when asked. By the end of their second day out from Noveria, everyone had heard both the rumor and her confirmation.<p>

Even Orlanis managed a smile, as Kara sat down across from the Turian CSec officer. "I admit," she said, looking down at her half-eaten tray of dextro rations, "I always figured you'd end up dead somewhere, after getting half my team killed."

"There's still time," Kara replied, smiling softly. Surviving Ilos was certainly going to take some care, after all. Ideally, she wanted Saren to believe that had she died on Noveria, if he were not to expect a Council trap. Presenting the _Normandy_ as a trophy of Benezia's victory would be a good start, as long as he didn't demand to inspect the ship. And if things went badly wrong, it could quickly become necessary to sacrifice herself for the cause.

"Just so long as you leave my people out of it, Shepard," the Turian laughed. Her narrow jaw tightened into a more serious line as she continued. "Did you ever hear the legend of Artalis?"

Kara shook her head. She knew several Turian epics, beyond the tale of Raenade, though not that one.

"It isn't one of the commonly told stories," Orlanis said. "I first heard it from Lix, who tells a more epic version than I can. Artalis was a coppersmith, who lived in the shadow of the Kahléstaci mountains, eight thousand years ago. He worked hard, forging the metal brought to him by the clans of the mountains, and turning it into tools for the farmers of the valley, the hunters of the hills, and the miners of the mountains. You see, at one time, even we Turians were primitive."

"Lines like that ruin a good narrative," Kara noted dryly.

"One day," Orlanis continued, scowling at the interruption, "his Queen sent a messenger to request him to forge arms for her soldiers, for a cruel warlord had appeared, who lived for battle and pillage, and now threatened their borders. Now, Artalis had no knowledge of weapons, and even less desire to forge them—"

"… so Turians were civilized, once," Kara concluded.

"Do you even want me to finish?" the storyteller demanded, repeating her scowl.

Kara leaned back, still smiling. She waved her hand, a lofty granting of permission that had Orlanis groaning. "Continue."

"—For he loved peace as much as he loved his mate, a tall and proud _etkure_[female Turian], who had once served in war, but set aside her spear to take up leadership of their village.

"Sadly, a love of peace is no defense against the sword. Their country was overrun, and the Queen taken captive, though she shed the lifeblood of a score of enemies before they overcame her. Artalis' village, too, was taken, his mate slain defending their three children, while he cowered, afraid, within his shop.

"But a Turian afraid is no Turian at all, and the spirits of his ancestors cursed him, as he cursed himself. Of all his friends and neighbors, none had survived but him. His weakness had not even earned him the death granted the youngest of children.

"Yet, as he knelt over the bodies of his family, shame overwhelmed his fear, and he took up the haft of his mate's broken spear. For two days he followed the company that had destroyed his home, taking neither food nor rest, until he caught up with them as they razed another small village, and he charged them. Fury brought him strength and speed, and he laid low several of his foes, but they turned on him, and he was quickly overwhelmed.

"The last thing he heard, as he lay dying, was their mockery, for they recognized him. They saw, as he did not, that he had not overcome his fear of death, but rather that he fled from something that he feared even more; living.

"He awoke the next day, crusted in his own blood, though his wounds were gone. Thirst burned his throat, and hunger twisted his stomach, but he did not feel them, for the fear that gripped his mind was all-consuming. He had been cursed with unending life, and uncounted deaths. For many years, he pursued those who had destroyed his village, diminishing their numbers with each assault. Their mockery swiftly turned to terror, and they tried many things to lay him low, each more cruel than the last, yet he always returned, until he had hunted them down to the last."

"When he finally stood over the corpse of the last of his foes, he cut out his own heart from his chest, and watched it beat its last as he died again.

"The next morning, he awoke. He had conquered his fear, and slain those who brought death to his family, only to find that it was not enough. In despair and rage, he shouted curses at his ancestors, and any spirits close enough to hear. None answered, save a young _etkuri_, who whimpered in fear at his outburst. Doing his best to be kind, though he barely recalled how, Artalis coaxed the child out of hiding with what little food he had.

"The _etkuri_ was around ten years old, pitifully thin, and constantly wary. Artalis considered snapping his neck right then, and sparing him the harshness of the world. It would be easily done, and painless.

"But something stayed his hand. Somehow, the young child reminded him of his own son, and from there, of the family he had lost, and he broke down in tears. He had nearly forgotten his children, and the tall, proud _etkane_ who had claimed him as her mate. Their lives had been taken by the actions of others, but he had discarded their memory himself. _That_ was his crime, as much as cowardice.

"Picking himself up, he took the child back to the ruins of his shop, and together, they built a life. Many years later, Artalis died quietly, in his sleep, and was mourned by many."

Orlanis resumed eating her neglected meal, her dark eyes watching Kara quietly, awaiting a response.

It was a fairly typical Turian story, disparaging of fear, but not complimentary of the lone hero archetype, either. The concept of PTSD being a type of fear, also to be conquered, was equally common. She understood Artalis less as a character, and more as an embodiment of all his enemy's many victims. They feared, but still fought back; and through weight of numbers succeeded. Orlanis' intended message was, or so Kara guessed, than she was _an_ Aratlis. If she died, someone else would take up the fight. That point, at least, she agreed with, though it was no guarantee of success.

"What happened to the queen?" she inquired, leaning over the table.

"Ah, yes," the Turian said. "The some say she died in her cell, but that her resistance, when their palace was taken, had given her son time to escape, and he later returned to reclaim the kingdom, though he never knew who to thank for cleansing it of enemies. Others claim she served the invaders, and died as one of them, but that her son later rebuilt the kingdom, as a just and wise ruler."

"Orlanis," Kara began, speaking softly. "If I die on Ilos, leave it be."

The Turian sighed. "You made your case too well already, Shepard. Kara. Tallith is the gentlest person I've ever met… you humans have legends of love at first sight, but for me, it was life. I was so awash in blood, I didn't see a future for myself, but then… us, and now I have a son. So I will fight with all my strength to beat Saren, and to survive, but I will not let him threaten my son's future."

"That's a change in attitude," Kara smiled.

"Yes," Orlanis agreed. Perhaps Lixandris had recited his more epic version of Artalis' tale to her recently.

"Sovereign is planning an assault on the Citadel," Kara said. "The Council is setting a trap. It's necessary that Saren recover the Conduit, and leaves Ilos."

The Turian snapped out a string of furious expletives. "My son… and I'd be there to protect him, if not for you."

"I'd have sent you back if I could—"

"Marreth could have taken us," Orlanis snarled. "Spirits, Shepard, my son—"

"Will be fine," Kara frowned. She hoped; the plan the rested on the Council not underestimating Sovereign, despite knowing nothing of its full capabilities. "The battle will be finished in space."

Orlanis scowled. "Easy for you to say." The Turian sighed, shaking her head. "Again, you leave me no choice. So let's kick some Reaper ass, so we can all go home."

That would be two weeks, at least, though there was always the chance that Saren had found the Conduit already, and was on his way to the Citadel. With greater surface area than Earth, however, his search might take some time. Enough, she hoped, for the _Normandy_ to catch up, but not so much that they ran out of food. "That sounds like a plan."

"One of CSec's finest."

Kara smiled. It certainly had the virtue of being uncomplicated, but she imagined that the Joint Commanders of the Citadel fleet would have something a little more sophisticated when the time came.

* * *

><p>"Kara." Shiala's voice had lost some of its haunted tone, in the six days since they had left Noveria. The Asari had spent them alone, except for the company of the Rachni Queen, piloting Benezia's unnamed passenger transport. "Do you have everything you need?"<p>

Kara had spent much of the last five days trying to decide how best to approach Ilos. Not knowing what she might find on the ground, she preferred to keep her options open, so far, a small team sounded more appropriate. The Asari-made transport could fit twenty people in more comfort than the _Normandy_, and was capable of landing on any terrestrial world. With the Rachni in the cargo hold, they would not be able to load the _ke'val_, not to mention the danger of revealing the Queen's presence to more people than already knew.

The _Normandy_, of course, was equally capable of delivering her marines, along with the _ke'val_. The light vehicle was an important factor, providing a level of stealth mobility that the _Normandy_'s size precluded. They had successfully duplicated the Matriarch's ID codes, which would get them past the Geth no matter what ship they were flying. From then on, it would be a question of putting just enough pressure on Sovereign to force it into swift action, but not enough to make it question its chances. "Yes. What about you?"

"I'm going to take the Queen as far off the Network as I can. One of our probes discovered a planet a month out from the Ninmah cluster. It's barely habitable, but with enough resources to get her started."

Shiala's ship was a short-range passenger transport, not designed for long FTL flights. A month's travel would leave her trapped, six hundred light years from the nearest relay, until the Rachni were able to build up the necessary infrastructure to refuel a fusion reactor. "I could send a ship for you."

"No," Shiala replied, lowering her gaze. "I made a mistake, Kara, but I'm not a fool. I know what you want of me."

"And you see why it's important?"

"I've heard her song for myself, Kara. She's so full of sorrow and regret." Emotions that clearly resonated with the Asari matron, and created in her a kind of resolve. That was what Kara had hoped for, when she'd first conceived the plan. "Yes, I understand."

"Then I hope we'll meet again," Kara smiled. Depending on the Queen's reserves of technical knowledge, it might take decades or centuries for the Rachni to establish space travel. She would recommend sending a ship in five years, if it were possible, both to relieve the Shiala, and establish formal contact.

Shiala nodded shortly, and closed the channel.

Kara leaned back in her chair, and sighed. They would reach Relay 112 in half an hour, and in less than a day would cross almost ten thousand lightyears. At the far end, Saren dug through the rubble of a dead world for a device that would begin the next in a series of galactic genocides. It seemed, in that light, somewhat ironic for her to be worried about the fate of a single species.

* * *

><p>It was rare for Kara to get the training room to herself. They were something of a social hub by design, a place where people could talk as they worked out, and compete in impromptu sparing matches. It improved the general health of the crew, gave them an outlet for stress, and something to do in their off hours, all of which were extremely important on longer missions. They knew, though, why the Normandy was on course for Ilos, that Saren waited for them there, and they knew the cost of failure. She could only assume that was the reason for their subdued mood.<p>

She breathed slowly in, her eyes closed, as her body performed the vanan ithal with practiced ease. Shifting posture, she extended her arm, sending a wave of focused biotics along the limb. She held position, as she released her breath, waiting until her lungs were empty, and continuing the forms with her next breath.

Even focused as she was, Kara did not miss the sound of the door sliding open, but observation, inward and out, was part of the point; the steady rhythm of her heart, and her slow breathing. The door grinding shut, and being jammed in place. Footsteps on the hard flooring near the door, and then the soft matting. They were trying to be stealthy, though with limited success, and she recognized their pacing. Her pulse quicken in response, but she kept to her forms.

The intruder, perhaps thinking she had not been detected, continued on, pausing some half a meter distant. Her footing changed to an aggressive stance.

Kara stepped sideways, hardly letting the change effect her forms, though she did smile at Brynja's annoyed muttering, coming from the floor where the blond's attempted pounce had landed her. "Is something wrong, Brynja?"

"No," came her quick reply. She had clearly intended for them to wind up in a classic romantic pose, with her grinning on top of her lover. Instead, she had to climb to her feet. "Is that tai chi? Could you teach me?"

"It's an Asari exercise, designed to improve physical and biotic coordination." Kara let out her breath, using her biotics to shift her mass as she executed an otherwise impossible kick.

"You didn't learn that in the Alliance," Brynja noted. "Liara?"

"Thessia," Kara replied. Maybe it was coy of her, but she didn't want to say more. She had a feeling that someone else had taken charge of the occasion, and didn't want to interrupt, even thought it was only an excuse. With how many people did she want to share her secrets?

Brynja wrapped strong arms about her waist, and pressed up against her back, the feel of her firm body ending what focus Kara had left. "It's very sexy."

Kara laughed softly, turning to moans as the blond began planting kisses on her neck. Her heart was pounding, now, and she turned in her lover's arms. "Yes."

"Kara, my… my love, would you care to dance?"

"You lead," Kara replied. Thankfully, given her lack of experience on the dance floor, Brynja did not attempt anything formalized, for which they had no music to set the pace, or much more than swaying where they stood. It was uncomfortable, really, the way their bodies brushed together as they moved providing a reminder of how far apart they were, and how ready she was to get closer.

This did not continue for long, before Brynja allowed the distance between them to increase to something more casual. Her smile fell away, though, and she brushed at her hair. "Kara…"

"Hm?"

"You aren't going to expect Liara and I to… you know. Have sex—" Brynja's cheeks flushed, reminding Kara of the shy young teen she had described—"with, um, together, and you."

"No," Kara said, smiling softly. Not that she wasn't human enough to have imagined the possibilities, but—"this relationship is about us. When I'm with you, I want to be thinking about you. Your desires and feelings. Liara has no place in our bed, especially if you're not comfortable with it."

Brynja sighed, her smile returning. "Good," she said, stepping closer, and then they were swaying again. "I'm not even into Asari."

"Keep an open mind," Kara breathed. "You never know who you might meet."

"And if I do? Or a cute guy—?"

"Not in my bed," Kara said firmly.

Smirking, Brynja pressed herself closer. "I love you," she whispered. Her face had a compelling shyness, when she backed away, and a faint blush, as she pulled her shirt over her head. Her face remained downcast, as she stood, waiting.

"Hey, Brynja," Kara smiled, and raised the young woman's chin, until their eyes met. "You're beautiful, and I love you."

* * *

><p>See you next chapter, when we begin the Epic, Amazing, Earth-shattering, and Life-altering Ilos arc.<p>

Believe the hyperbole, people. Thanks for reading, and leave a review.


	39. Silence

So, for those of who don't have me on author alert, I published the first part of a new project last week, titled 'Antiheroine: Consequences'. It currently features the first half of a story dealing with some of the, well, _consequences_ of Kara's decisions; specifically, the one over Terra Nova. The second half will contain spoilers, so I intend to finish it after I'm done here, but you should obviously check out the first part whenever you've got a moment.

Also, I extended the final scene of the last chapter somewhat, to answer a few question that I didn't fit at the beginning of this one. No, nothing explicit.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE<br>_Silence_

"Captain, we'll be at Ilos in an hour."

Kara sighed, and reached for the controls. She'd been dozing, at least for a while, and slept well enough before that. Resting properly had been the most important thing she could do, once the _Normandy_ had cleared the Relay, and the Geth blockade. "I'm on my way, Sevis."

Not just yet, though. She smiled, sliding her hand across her lover's stomach, as the young woman slept in her arms, oblivious to the Salarian's acknowledgement. The soft, skin felt good against her fingers, not as firm as Liara's, or as textured, but quite _human_, and that had pleasures of its own.

Brynja moaned softly, rolling onto her back. Her blue eyes blinked open, slowly, focusing on Kara's face. "'Morning, beautiful."

"Yes," she replied, brushing a few strands of silver hair out of the woman's face, and kissing her softly.

"Thank you," Brynja smiled. "For letting me prove that I really didn't fall for your _special_ charisma."

Kara grinned. "So that's what you were doing down there."

"Down whe… oh," the blond began, flushing deeply. She had been enthusiastic, though not the best lover, but it was her first time with a woman.

"You did just fine," Kara said, turning her grin into an encouraging smile, "and you'll get a chance to improve."

"Later," Brynja sighed. "I guess you have to go."

Kara nodded, and kissed the blond's cheek.

"You, love, you're amazing. I haven't felt—didn't know I _could_ feel that good. My poor taste in men, I guess."

Laughing, Kara rolled over the young woman, and onto her feet. Once again, pieces of clothing were strewn about the cabin, and it was her job to sort them out. "You should ask Sayuri to set you up. The way she talks, all her men are the best experience ever."

"Trying to get rid of me already?" Brynja teased, rising and embracing her from behind.

Kara breathed deeply, and let it out with a soft moan as she leaned into her lover, enjoying the simple pleasure of bare skin pressed against hers, with no thought to the erotic. She could admit that her feelings for Liara ran deeper, but there were pleas

"Just make sure you come back to me," the blond continued, kissing Kara's shoulder lightly. "I'd hate to have to practice on someone else."

Laughing softly, Kara turned, and placed a last kiss on Brynja's lips.

* * *

><p>Kara climbed the stairs to the command deck without about fifteen minutes to spare, having showered and eaten on the way. It was still early morning, with third watch on duty, but in additional to Kirrahe at his usual position, Liara was standing over the tactical display. Scanning the planet for active power signatures could take hours, assuming they weren't interrupted, and was the easiest way to locate a person on any barren or low-tech world. If Saren had deployed the Geth in a worldwide search for the Conduit, however, it could take much longer. "Anything yet, Sevis?"<p>

Since they were once again approaching the planet at sublight speeds, the _Normandy_'s sensor arrays had been collecting data for some time, and Kirrahe gave a pleased smile. "Sovereign."

Kara stepped up beside Liara, laying her hand on Asari's. She had already gotten a warm smile, when she had first hailed Kirrahe, but neither of them attempted a kiss, instead turning their attention back to the display, where the projectors had created a model of Ilos. A non-scale representation of Sovereign hung in a low orbit, about three hundred kilometers above the surface, with a few other Geth ships nearby.

"Watch," the Liara said, reverting the image to about four hours ago, and played the simulation back at an accelerated speed. Ilos rotated slowly, but noticeably, and Sovereign moved with it.

"I see," Kara smiled. At that distance, a natural orbit would have had the Reaper moving at a much higher speed. Instead, it deliberately maintained a position over a specific location. "Good work. Do we have anything on that area?"

"Some," Liara began, zooming in on an area of about a hundred square kilometers, complete with topographic lines and highlighted ruins, most of which were just one or two buildings. "Orbital scans, from several expeditions. There are isolated ruins of small towns, but most of the land appears to have been open. The surviving infrastructure does suggest that it was farmed. It's been theorized that much of its produce was shipped Feros. Unfortunately, access to the system was cut off before the archeological teams finished studying higher priority sites."

Isolated locations were often used for secret military research, which in this case might be underground, and buried beneath fifty thousand years of debris. "What do you think the Conduit is?"

"I do have a wild theory," Liara said, smiling a little shyly. Kara recalled that her last wild theory, which had correctly predicted the existence of a cyclical destructive force, had never gained much acceptance. "I don't think we're looking for a Reaper artifact at all. What if they found a way to prevent the Reapers from returning, and it's here?"

"That is wild," Kara agreed, rubbing the Asari's back affectionately, "but it's better than mine. If we are looking for an underground base, I'd guess that Saren has found it already." If the Reapers were serious about their extermination campaigns, they would need tech to locate deep bunkers, or else they left a potential refuge intact, but they could not scan every planet down to the mantle, either, leaving them to rely on Indoctrinated sources and captured intelligence.

"Then he may be shielded, too," Liara added. "Could we scan for the base directly?"

"Unfortunately, no." The technology did exist, but it was an active scan, and made the ship easily detectable, which contradicted the _Normandy_'s role as a stealth ship. As any cruiser could do the job, the design team had decided to leave it out, in favor of more useful systems. "Even if we could, Sovereign is too close."

Honestly, she didn't see a good way to proceed, aside from waiting for Saren to reveal himself, as he and Sovereign left for the Citadel. She found that option less than appealing. "We'll take the _Ke'val_ down, and scout out these ruins, here," she said, pointing out one of the larger clusters of ancient, ruined buildings. It was at least as likely a location as any of the other scattered towns. "Sevis, do what you can to continue the search, but don't risk the _Normandy_. If we get marooned here, there's no way to call for help."

"Not much we can do at this range," Kirrahe pointed out. And they couldn't get much closer, with the outer hull in the shape it was. "Ilan'ne, take us into orbit, but keep Ilos between us and the Reaper."

Kara nodded. That would reduce the distance to a few thousand kilometers, down from a hundred and fifty thousand, easing their deployment, but they would have to retreat again to begin scanning the site. "Time to suit up, Liara. Kirrahe, have Sayuri and Garrus meet us in the cargo bay."

* * *

><p>Kara checked to make sure everyone had their masks secure, before opening the <em>Ke'val<em>'s hatched and stepping out onto the surface. Sayuri had parked the vehicle inside a partially collapsed building, and was in the process of shutting down all systems to hide it from the Geth. They had not seen any patrols during their flyover of the ruins, looking for clues as to where to start, but the precaution was sensible even so, and though it mattered less, the hazy red of the morning sky, and the thick clouds to the west, suggested that the cold drizzle might turn to rain.

"I can almost see the people here going about their lives," Liara said, staring out the east-facing opening. Parts of the ruins were buried, and overgrown with weeds and brush, though pieces of wall rose out the thick soil, like the bones of a great beast. "It's difficult for most people to imagine just how like us they were, with all the layers of myth and legend built up over the years."

"All most people know about the Protheans is that they build the relay, and disappeared," Garrus pointed out. "And that isn't even true."

"Walking in the rain," Liara said, stepping out from underneath the sheltering upper floor and lifting her face to the sky. "Such a simple thing. A town like this might have serviced a hundred kilometers of industrial farming in every direction, processing produce and meat as they came in, and loading them aboard bulk freighters bound for worlds like Feros. Their techniques depleted the soil, so colonies like this were temporary, but there were plenty of other worlds out there, and they didn't care."

That sounded very much like an empire to Kara, grinding up the Periphery to maintain the Core. Wars and rebellions were probably quite common, and ruthlessly suppressed by the state. She could imagined the Prothean homeworld at the height of their power; the environment used up, though partially restored during the early years, when the benefits of empire still outweighed the costs, and later devolving into verdant and glittering enclaves, surrounded by stinking, overpopulated slums.

"You got all that from the Thorian?"

"The interesting parts only, Garrus," the Asari said, turning to face them. "The rest is from fifty years of study and archeology."

"Without which you wouldn't be here," Kara said, catching her eye.

"On Ilos, with me," Sayuri said, stepping out of the _Ke'val_. "Where we're looking for… something. In the rain."

"We're looking for signs of activity," Kara snapped, rounding on the marine. It was the intrusion, more than the teasing, that annoyed her, even though her words to Liara had not been private, or were intended as supportive, not romantic. The Japanese marine's eyes tightened in concern.

"Ma'am?"

Kara frowned. "Garrus, you'll take Liara, and search the northern half of the ruins. Sayuri you're with me. There may be Geth around, so stay alert, and be sure to check inside any intact structures. Report in if you find something. If not, be back here in two hours."

Waiting for the two aliens to leave, Kara walked over to where Sayuri stood. "I'm sorry about that."

"It's alright, Kara," the marine shrugged. "I've seen you get snippy before, and… you're worried about her, aren't you?"

Kara sighed, and gestured for her to follow, and they moved out together into the ruins. "Yes."

"It isn't about Brynja, is it?" Sayuri asked, touching her arm. "I know you spent last night together."

Someone had been bound to notice, with the _Normandy_ being as small as small as it was. "Don't you have anything better to do than keep an eye on me?"

"Now you're just being silly."

Kara shook her head. Sayuri wasn't much of a gossip, at least. "I'm not having a relationship with Brynja behind Liara's back."

"Oh," the marine muttered, though she sounded a little disappointed. "Oh! So you're not denying—"

"Leave it, Sayuri," Kara said softly. They were supposed to be watching for Geth, anyway, not talking about her sex life.

She paused, surveying the surrounding ruins for anything of interest. The light rain had paused, and the still air hung over them, cool and damp.

"Kara…" Sayuri breathed. "There's… _nothing_. No scamper of small rodents, no bird calls. Not even insects. Just… silence."

"Yes." No animal life, the reports had said. A cooling trend caused by atmospheric dust might cause mass extinctions, but nothing so complete. She suspected a combination of factors—depleted soil, an escaped food-animal gone invasive, all adding to the Reaper-caused disruption. A mass die-off of plant life, coming close to complete planetary extinction, which the fauna had been unable to survive.

A flash of lightening in the west caused Kara to turn, and spot a wall of rain approaching. She unclipped her helmet from her belt, and pulled it on. She had hoped to have more time, before the storm hit, knowing the weather would slow down their search.

"One thing I don't miss about Earth," Sayuri shouted, over the sound of the downpour, "is the bloody rain!"

Kara shook her head. Like so many parts of living groundside, rain was something she'd first experienced on Thessia, and she had loved it, frolicking through wet fields in soaking clothes, or in nothing at all. "We'll never find anything in this," she replied, as visibility continued to decrease.

"Let's see if we can find cover," the Japanese marine suggested, futilely wiping water from her visor.

With frolicking not a serious option, Kara agreed. In truth, not much of the town had remained standing, with fifty thousand years of wind and rain finishing off what the Reapers had started. Walls, blackened by years worth of wildfires, rose out of ground overrun by grasses. Here and there an upper story or roof still clung to a broken frame, sagging under the weight of time. She and Sayuri took shelter under one of these, what might have been a modest home, with enough space for three or four people to live comfortably.

A family. With the Prothean Empire regarded popularly as nothing more than distant benefactors, it was important to remember that it too had been made up of people. Different than humans or Turians, or any other species she knew, but still individuals, who went about their lives with some degree of autonomy. They'd been doing just that when the Reapers came, and systematically scoured the galaxy for them. How long had the people of Ilos waited, knowing the end was coming, before their doom appeared in the skies? What attempts had they made to survive?

Eradicating an entire spacefaring species was a daunting task. Based upon explored space, Council analysts estimated that forty percent of the galaxy's estimated two hundred and eighty billion stars were more than sixty lightyears from the nearest relay, putting them out of reach of most unaltered commercial spacecraft. However, the modifications were neither expensive nor difficult, and one could establish a small but colony on a garden world with a single ship. The Reapers must have scoured the galaxy, planet by planet.

To go through that amount of effort, again and again, destroying not just all spacefaring life, but any species approaching its neolithic age, leaving the galaxy quiet for tens of thousand of years. Whatever the truth of their purpose, they considered it direly important, but not so important that they simply prevented the rise of spacefaring civilizations to begin with.

Kara sighed. She was wasting her thoughts, again, trying to solve a puzzle with a scattering of dissolute clues.

"You're trying to make sense of this, aren't you?" Sayuri said, her voice lacking its usual hard edge. She had seated herself farther back under their shelter, on a small pile of dirt, from which she could watch both Kara and the rain.

Kara shook her head, not turning away from the ruins. "So are you."

"Yeah, but I make a better marine than philosopher. I'm still stuck on 'because…'"

"So am I."

Sayuri sighed. "I don't know if that's a comfort or not. What if they really do have a logical reason? Wouldn't you expect that from an AI?"

She didn't dispute the value of logic, but it required knowledge; any chain of logic based on false premises was right only by chance. Her logic demanded that lives had value, based upon assumptions, yes, but not without basis. Individuals were unique, whether Prothian or Salarian or human. "Even if they did, would you give up your life freely?"

"I guess not, no, but I'm sure you'd want an explanation anyway. You always did want to know everything."

It was an ancient principal of warfare that to know one's enemies—not just their strength, but who they were, including their goals—provided strategic advantage. In the case of the Reapers, such knowledge might prove the only means of stopping them, if defeating Sovereign wasn't enough.

"Let's get moving," Sayuri said, pushing to her feet. "All this thinking is making me depressed."

Kara rolled her eyes. The heavy rain outside had come and gone quickly, leaving them with a misty sprinkle falling from a lightening sky. "Yes, let's," she agreed.

* * *

><p>"<em>Shepard… signs of… coordinates follow…<em>"

The message bore the signature of one of the _Normandy_'s emergency buoys, reconfigured to send something other than the usual distress signal. It was a clever way to keep the ship itself out of danger, but the tiny satellites weren't designed for transmitting through an atmosphere, and the message had gotten a bit scrambled. A second, less intense storm front had added to the distortion. It had repeated itself twice, before shutting down, presumably when the Geth managed to track down and destroy the buoy.

She had sent orders for Garrus to meet them at the _Ke'val_ half an hour early, and set her omnitool to merge the three copies, in the hopes of making the coordinates audible, but it was a slim hope. The static was worst over the same few seconds of each recording, almost as if done with conscious intent. To accomplish that, Sovereign must have broken their encryption, which added a new level of difficulty to their mission, and almost certainly meant the Geth were waiting for them, if they could even decipher what Kirrahe had intended to tell them.

When she and Sayuri arrived at the shelter, she found Garrus and Liara waiting for her. Unprofessional as it was, her first thought was relief at seeing her lover, but she shook it off and approached the Turian.

"Shepard," he said, the distortion of his mask suggesting a grin. "About time you got here."

"What have you got, Garrus?" Kara asked, gesturing for Sayuri to see to their transport.

"Whoever set up that signal was clever," Garrus said, bringing up his own copy of the message on his omnitool. "Those omnidirection beacons aren't the best way to send a signal, so they must have known it'd be intercepted. The old emergency signal was shunted through the secondary transmitter—it's weak but there. Listen."

Sure enough, the recording which the Turian played was the standard 'ship in distress' format, looping through the affiliation and registry number of the _Normandy_, followed by the buoy's launch coordinates, timecode, and ship's vector—hopefully, everything a rescue team would need to locate any survivors, or at least the wreck.

Only, the launch coordinates should have been issued in stellar format, but these were planetary, latitude by longitude. The crew must have spotted some activity on the surface, about twenty kilometers away from her current position, and set the transmission prior to launch. Sovereign would not have missed the secondary signal, which wasn't even encrypted, but may not have recognized its importance.

"There's also an odd variation in signal strength," Garrus continued, switching to signal analysis mode. "At first, I thought it was just interference from the storm, but it repeats itself each times the message cycles through. Look."

Signal analysis wasn't one of Kara's strengths, but she could follow the Turian's argument. Hiding the signal in the noise was an old technique, and an apparent final safeguard against Sovereign's interference as she recognized the same set of coordinates as the root of the variations. "Good work, Garrus," she said, nodding at him. "Let's go."

"My bet is on Tali," he said, climbing into the _Ke'val_. "Everyone knows Quarians make the best techs."

Kara shrugged, following Liara to take her usual seat closest the door. Adams was a better engineer than Garrus gave him credit for, and the most knowledgable on her crew when it came to Alliance technology, while Salarians were known for just the sort of lateral thinking that had gone into the project. At present, though, it didn't matter who had done the work.

As soon as the hatch behind her, Kara gave the order to get underway.

* * *

><p>The coordinates sent by the <em>Normandy<em> were precise, leading them to where a Geth ship had landed next to a recently-dug pit, nearly fifty meters deep, and now filled with water and slick with mud from the rains. On foot and peering over the edge, Kara could see a large door, big enough for a small supply shuttle, standing open. It had probably been sheltered by an overhanging hillside, before the Reapers came, which the Protheans might have collapsed to help hide the base below.

Several Geth platforms were also visible, struggling to move crates of some sort down the slope. Their metal feet dug into the much with more success than a human would have had, but they still wouldn't been better off shuttling it down. Lacking the fragility of organics, and the need to cater to divers individuals, she wondered if they simply considered small transport craft to be unnecessary.

In addition to the working Geth, two sentries stood outside the door, armed with what looked like rocket launchers. Such weapons were quite effective against vehicles, and could take down a frigate if properly targeted. They kept launchers in a ready position, and could probably aim and fire with more speed and accuracy than an organic, which made rushing them a dubious prospect.

Sliding back from the edge, Kara rolled on her side. "Sayuri, get back to the _Ke'val_, bring it as close as you can."

"Yes, sir," Sayuri whispered, keeping low as she backed off. The vehicle was parked nearby, hidden in a low spot, on the far side of the large pile of excavated dirt.

Kara pulled her rifle and moved back into position, sighting down the scope. The sentries were outside of optimal range, and too far away for her to affect with biotics. "Garrus, get ready to take out the Geth by the door."

If the Geth knew to expect her, which Kara considered a fair assumption, and had not placed guards around their pit, then they were planning a trap. Presumably, they intended to wait, and follow her in with sufficient numbers to keep her moving, until she blundered into a proper ambush. A control room near the door would be part of a standard design; if they could seize it, and seal the entrance, then they could proceed at their own pace.

If they weren't expecting her, then the sniper rifle that Garrus was checking over would certainly alert them, and she doubted it would take them long to mobilize. Even the nearby ship, had the dimensions of an infiltration frigate, could easily contain twenty inactive platforms, leading to more or less the same scenario of them chasing her into an ambush.

Kara backed off again. "Liara, do you think you can find a way to seal that door, once we're through it?"

"If we can find the controls, definitely," Liara said. "I seem to have an intuitive understanding of Official Prothean since Feros."

Kara nodded. She had hoped as much, but the Asari had been more interested in talking about the cultural aspects of her new knowledge. "Good. Join Sayuri as soon as she gets back."

Speaking of Sayuri, she could see their Salarian vehicle approaching, pushing through the prairie. The noise of its control thrusters was muted by the thick grass, hopefully enough to keep them hidden for a few more moments. She waited until it had slowed, and the hatch opened, before creeping back to the edge of the pit. "When you're ready, Garrus."

The Turian held his breath, and squeezed off a shot. The shaped and charged shard effectively penetrated his target's kinetic barriers and armor. He had moved on to the next target before it could collapse.

Kara waited long enough to be certain they were both down, before backing off. "Let's go, Garrus. Into the _Ke'val._"

With the Turian right behind her, Kara climbed into the vehicle. "Sayuri, get us through those doors, now," she ordered sharply, before the hatch had even finished closing. "Stop once we're inside."

The marine rarely needed urging to show off her piloting skills, pushing the throttle forward harder than Kara would have liked. The _Ke'val_ cleared the edge of the pit, angling downward in mid-air.

One of the advantages of not taking the middle seat, as Kara had noted before, was that she could not see where they were going, or how fast. She cringed as they headed towards the open doors at what seemed far to quick a speed, but Sayuri successfully pulled up before they crashed into the floor, spinning the _Ke'val_ to face the entrance as they stopped as rapidly as mass effect technology would allow.

"Satisfied, sir?" the marine asked, grinning over her shoulder.

Kara raised an eyebrow, knowing Sayuri wouldn't see a scowl through her breather. "More than," she replied. "You and I are going to guard the door. Garrus, you'll make sure nothing comes up behind us. Liara—"

"Door controls," the Asari finished. "I know."

Kara laid her hand on the Asari's shoulder, briefly, before following Garrus out onto the shuttle pad.

The ceiling of the hall was some twenty meters up, and crossed with tracks for some sort of cargo crane. There were crates stacked against the interior wall, marked with Prothean letters, and others of the same design they'd seen the Geth moving outside.

It would interesting to see what was in them, but the investigation would have to wait. Sayuri had already begun prepping the _Ke'val_ for combat, charging the capacitors for the axial cannon, and switching on the VI-controlled antipersonnel turret, and roar of a frigate maneuvering outside, the noise echoing off the muddy slopes of the pit, suggested that the fight was about to begin. Kara rushed to gain a defensive position next to the door, pulling on her helmet as she did, and missed the sight of the first of the Geth plunging into the muddy water.

"_Shit_," Sayuri yelped, her voice edged with panic. "_It's a Colossus._"

They did not have a spare Mako around to crash into the heavy Geth walker, as the marine had done on Virmire, and without a weapon that posed a credible threat to it, they had no way of holding it off. She was unwilling to order Sayuri to use the _Ke'val_ in the same way, and retreating would do them no good.

Kara leaned out for a view of the pit. The sizable machine was still rising to its full height, a little less than twice that of a Mako, with filthy water running off its grey hull. Around it, the usual human-sized platforms were also rising out of the muck, and still more were coming down.

Sayuri was blasting the Colossus with the _Ke'val_'s main gun, its automated turret focused on disabling the lesser platforms, while she maneuvered rapidly in an attempt to evade enemy fire. The VI controller was having much more success than the pilot, and didn't seem to need what minor help that Kara could contribute, allowing her to focus on the walker.

She had struggled to breach the shields of a smaller Geth Armature with biotics, and the _Normandy_ was out of reach. One of the disabled sentries was almost in reach, a meter away at most, still clutching its rocket launcher. She wrapped the weapon in a biotic field, dragging it swiftly into the her hands. The movement attracted attention from the Geth, but she was already out of sight before they could target her.

"Just hold on, Sayuri," she said, over the comm, as she the examined the launcher. The grip was awkward for her hands, but she was able to hold it steady, and target the Colossus through its scope. Quarian characters indicated target acquisition and range. She aimed at a joint, what she hoped was a weak point, and squeezed the trigger.

The rocket fired in a burst of flame and smoke, ignoring the Colossus' barriers and crashing into it just above the joint. She ducked out of sight, as she waited for the smoke to clear.

"_Yeah!_" Sayuri shouted, still firing into the haze. "_Take that, you fucker!_"

"Stay alert, marine," Kara ordered sharply, peer around the edge of the door. From what she could make out, the Colossus had been destroyed, and now lay half-covered in mud. Some of the visible damage had definitely come from the _Ke'val_'s cannon, which she guessed had finished it off. "Liara, how's that door coming?"

"_The controls have been locked down_," the Asari replied tensely. "_I'm trying to override_."

That was probably Saren's work, cleverly anticipating her strategy. If so, then more Geth were on the way, and she would need every advantage to hold them off. She took advantage of their temporary reprieve to claim the launcher from the second sentry, rolling it over a to claiming a pair of extra rockets. She had no idea how to load them, but it was easier to learn than to conjure them from nowhere.

As she crouched, checking over the launcher, a second frigate appeared overhead with a roar of thrusters. She had a clear view of it, and a loaded rocket—it was probably foolish of her to even make the attempt. Still, she had nothing to lose, lifting the launcher and gazing through the scope. She chose to target one of the troop deployment openings, near one of the aft thrusters that kept the ship aloft. She dropped the empty tube and ran for cover, as several Geth plunged into the water.

From the sound of Sayuri's swearing, she guessed they had dropped another Colossus, but more interesting was the sputtering of the frigate's thrusters, combined with the others burning hotter to make up for the loss. A secondary explosion shook the ground. A ship's hydrogen fuel supply was typically stored in a ship's rear quarter, and Ilos' atmosphere had an abundance of oxygen—if that was what they were hearing… "Liara, the doors! Now!"

"_Just another second…_"

"Sayuri, I need pickup."

"_Sir_," the marine replied tensely, swinging the _Ke'val_ around. Kara didn't wait for the hatch to finish opening, but launched herself through the air with biotic assistance. She didn't quite make the leap, catching one of the vehicles exterior handholds.

"Go," she snapped, swinging herself inside and slapping the hatch controls. She had a brief view of the Colossus, charging the door, which seemed to confirm her fears. That, and the growing shadow outside. "The doors, Liara."

"_Just another—_"

With a groan of heavy machinery, the huge doors began to grate shut, accelerating faster than she had hoped, as she watched over Sayuri's shoulder. The caught the Colossus half-inside, crushing the armored walker, but leaving an unfortunate gap between the two halves.

The room shook about them, as a thousand of tons of frigate crashed into the pit outside, thankfully not in free fall. The wall shattered, and cracks splintered the ceiling. "Liara, Garrus, get to the lift. Sayuri, us too," Kara ordered. She had a feeling that the hall was about to collapse around them, sooner if the Geth ship's drive core exploded. Bringing it down had not been her intent, but she supposed it would prevent pursuit. It would also leave them trapped, if there wasn't another exit somewhere.

Kara leapt out as soon as the _Ke_'_val_ moved onto the cargo lift, rushing over to the simple control panel. Garrus arrived next, keeping the battered door covered with his sniper rifle. "Spirits, Shepard," he said, almost as if responding to her thoughts, "that was terrifying. I hope there's another way out of here."

"If there isn't, the Geth will clear this one," she suggested. It made sense, at least if Saren was trapped alongside them. "We just need to stay out of the way."

"Kara," Liara said, coming around the corner and embracing her without hesitation. The lift began to descend before the she could extract herself enough to press the control. "Goddess, you're crazy. Kara, I couldn't override the lockout. I didn't close that door."

"What?" Kara asked, more than a little stunned. If the Asari wasn't responsible, then—

"Come on, Liara," Garrus replied. "There's no one down here but Saren and the Geth. Maybe you tripped something without realizing it."

Activating the lift, as well? Kara frowned. "I don't think so Garrus."

"What if," Liara began, squeezing Kara's hand excitedly, her matching tone incongruous with their situation, "there _is _something else down here. A remnant of the Prothean Empire."

Not a survivor. "A VI?"

"Yes—"

An explosion from somewhere up above shook the lift, cutting the Asair off. "Into the _Ke'val_," Kara snapped. Debris fell down the shaft, and crashed into the overhead safety cage, causing the lift mechanism to grind dangerously. If it let go, she didn't want to be out in the open.

* * *

><p><em>You see, there are good reasons not to fly a frigate through a combat zone. I think I'm finally in good shape to end this, which is excellent, because anyone who's familiar with the source material will tell you that the end is nigh.<em>

_Thanks for reading, and feel free to send me any feedback you may have._


	40. Echoes

CHAPTER FORTY  
><em>Echoes<em>

"With respect to your theories, Shepard, I hope this isn't leading us into another ambush," Garrus grumbled, as a smaller passenger lift carried them still further down. It was difficult to estimate, but she guessed they were already over a kilometer beneath the now-collapsed entrance.

Sayuri laughed. "You call those ambushes, Vakarian? They were massacres. If there is a VI behind all this, I don't think it wants us dead."

Their unknown benefactor had guided them through expansive facility, closing doors and shutting of lights to alter their path, and while it had led them through pockets of Geth, it had always been from an unexpected angle. The humanoid platforms were hardly a threat against the _Ke'val_, anyway, though some had heavy weapons, and the two Armature's they fought had gone down easily enough, with some biotic assistance.

"We're about to find out," Kara said, as the lift came to a halt. Unfortunately, they'd been forced to leave their vehicle behind, but she was willing to accept that whatever reason they were here, it was important enough to make the leaving it worthwhile. Also, they hadn't been given much choice. "Stay alert, all of you."

The doors opened onto a wide hall, with a line of lights overhead leading to a console, or control station. In the dim reflection, she could make out alcoves in the walls. Flashing her wrist lamp at them, she could see they were some sort of survival pods, but they showed no signs of being powered. Was this the heart of the Ilos bunker, where the last survivors of the Prothean race had attempted to outlast the Reaper invasion?

As they drew close, the console lit up, projecting a distorted image into the space above it.

"_You are not Prothean, but you are not machine either. This eventuality was one of many that was anticipated. This is why we sent our warning through the Beacons. I do not sense the taint of Indoctrination upon any of you, unlike the other that came recently. Perhaps there is still hope_."

"Not to… ah," Sayuri began hesitantly. "If this is a Prothean VI, how is it that I can understand it?"

"_I monitored the communications of those who came before you_," the VI replied, its voice steady. Kara's translator indicated that it was speaking _Thessié_, probably because of Liara's presence. "_I have translated my output into a form you will comprehend. My name is Vigil, and you are safe here for the moment, though that is likely to change. Soon, nowhere will be safe._"

"You mean the Reapers?" Kara asked.

"_In this cycle, the Citadel is the heart of your civilization, and the seat of government, as it was with us, but the Citadel is a trap. It is actually an enormous Mass Relay, one that links to darkspace, where the Reapers lurk in the void beyond the galaxy's horizon. When the Citadel Relay is activated, they will pour through, and all you know will be destroyed._"

That explained the reason behind Sovereign's plan to attack the station, and confirmed that it, and therefor the insectoid Keepers, were of Reaper design. Even the Council's most detailed analysis of the Citadel only hinted at how it functioned. That was beginning to change, but not fast enough to save them if Sovereign succeeded.

"_Our researchers came to believe that the Reapers enter prolonged periods of inactivity to conserve energy. This allows them to survive the tens of thousands of years it takes for organic civilization to rebuild itself, but in this state they are vulnerable. By retreating beyond the edges of the galaxy, they ensure that no one will accidentally discover them._"

"Spirits, Shepard," Garrus groaned, "it's a perfect ambush. They could take out the Council, and the entire Citadel fleet, in a single strike."

"Yes," Kara replied. The Citadel fleet, though, was only a small fraction of the total military power of the member species, just as the Council was not the unified government that Vigil seemed to expect. The blow to morale would be more damaging than the physical one.

"_That was our fate. Our leaders were dead before we even realized we were under attack. The Reapers seized control of the Citadel, and through it, the Mass Relays. Communications and transportation across our Empire were crippled. Each star cluster was isolated, cut off from the others, easy prey for the Reaper fleets. Over the next decades the Reapers systematically obliterated our people. World by world, system by system, they methodically wiped us out._"

The key piece of information, there, was that the Citadel controlled the Relays. To her, it hinted at a more limited Reaper fleet than Sovereign had bragged about. Numbers to darken the skies of every world, perhaps, but not all at once.

"_Through the Citadel, the Reapers had access to all our records, maps, and sensor data. Information is power and they knew everything about us. As they advanced, some worlds were utterly destroyed, and others conquered, their populations enslaved. These Indoctrinated servants became sleeper agents, under Reaper control. Taken in as refugees by other Protheans, they betrayed them to the machines._"

In fact, Kara guessed, Indoctrination was the Reaper's primary tool, more important to their campaign than fleets of Sovereign-sized dreadnoughts. That—not information taken from the Citadel—was how they found refugees that attempted to flee the Relay network altogether.

"_Within a few centuries, the Reapers had killed or enslaved every Prothean in the galaxy. They were relentless, brutal, and absolutely thorough._"

"_Why_, though?" Sayuri asked. "What could they possibly get out of mass genocide?"

"_The Reapers are alien; unknowable. Perhaps they need slaves or resources. More likely they are driven by motives or goals that organics cannot hope to comprehend._"

"I don't accept that," Kara told it softly.

"_That is your choice, but in the end, what does it matter? Your survival depends on stopping them, not in understanding them_."

"It has a point, Shepard," Garrus said.

Was that true? Or did stopping them depend on understanding them? At the least, it would make success more certain. "Are you capable of interfacing with our computer systems? Can you transfer all the information you have about the Reapers to my ship?"

"_Yes, though the translation will require significant processor resources._"

Kara nodded; she wanted the information, but she couldn't contact the _Normandy_ until after Sovereign had left. "So how do I stop them?"

"_The Conduit is the key. Before the Reapers attacked, we Protheans were on the cusp of unlocking the mysteries behind Mass Relay technology. This facility was a top secret research lab, where researchers from all over the Empire worked to create a small scale version of a Mass Relay, one that linked directly to the Citadel._"

"The Conduit," Liara breathed, "the monument on the Citadel! It isn't a weapon at all."

A way out of the ruins and onto the Citadel itself, leading straight to the lift up the Presidium Tower. "Damn," Kara muttered, mostly to herself. She had to let Saren use the Conduit, leading an unknown number of Geth in an attack on the Council itself, or risk Sovereign escaping the trap. Countless civilians would get caught up in the battle as CSec attempted to resist invasion, when she had assured Orlanis that the fighting would never reach the station itself. "We're too far from the Citadel for a single Relay pair."

"_Correct. In order to maintain corridor cohesion, a series of four boosters were constructed, forming a Relay chain. In addition to amplifying the signal of the Ilos relay, they are able to alter the trajectory of a ship in mid-jump, allowing them to bypass the volatile galactic core. The journey can be made with only an additional forty percent time over the traditional relay network and with greatly improved accuracy._"

By Kara's estimation, that meant a two-week journey. "We don't have supplies for that long of a trip."

"_That concern was factored into the design. Once optimum velocity is achieved, the mass effect field strength of the corridor is weakened, allowing the passengers of the transiting ship to experience relativistic effects, without delaying their arrival time._"

Kara nodded. They Alliance had attempted a similar effect, back when they were first experimenting with mass effect-powered FTL. It relied on the commonly misunderstood point that, even within a mass effect field, a ship never moved at more than a small fraction of the speed of light, despite moving faster than three hundred thousand light years per second. Instead, by altering the mass of photons in a discreet pocket of space, they increased the local speed of light. So if, on a long flight, a ship could reach its optimal speed, and then reduce power to its mass effect core, the speed of light could be reduced to just above the ship's speed, allowing the crew to experience relativistic effects.

The flaw in this theory was that the ship's mass effect core also experienced time dilation, reducing its maximum output compared to 'normal' time. If it fell low enough that it could no longer sustain the interface, the field collapsed, the ship snapped back to sublight speeds, and everyone onboard died in a burst of Cherenkov radiation. An outside field generator, like a Mass Relay, would not experience time dilation, and be able to sustain the necessary power levels.

"Why do the Reapers need this Relay Chain, then?" Kara asked.

"_All official records of our project were destroyed in the initial attack on the Citadel. While the Prothean Empire came crashing down, this facility was spared. We severed all communication with the outside, concealed ourselves as best we could, and this facility went dark. The personnel retreated to these archives. To save resources, everyone was put into cryogenic stasis. I was programmed to monitor the facility, and wake the staff when the danger had passed._

"_Years passed. Decades. Centuries. The Reapers persisted, and my energy reserves were dwindling. I began to disable the life support of non-essential personnel. First support staff, then security, one by one their pods were shut down to conserve energy. The Reapers came here, and the cities and farms of Ilos were turned to ash and rubble, leaving only their indoctrinated servants behind. Eventually, only the stasis pods of the top scientists remained active. Even these were in danger of failing when the Reapers retreated back through the Citadel Relay into darkspace._"

"You just… shut them off?" Sayuri demanded, raising her chin aggressively. "The people you were supposed to protect?"

There were enough pods for hundreds of individuals. Had they survived, the might have had numbers enough to save one or two of the races that made up the Prothean Empire, and attempted to convert the history she knew into a weapon to stop the Reapers. The result would be forced industrialization of stone-age tribes, and conflict without end, until the Reapers re-emerged to end it.

"_This eventuality was not completely unforeseen. My actions were a result of contingency programming, entered on my creation. I saved key personnel, without whom the Reapers would have already returned to cleanse the galaxy of your civilizations. My actions are the only reason any hope remains._"

The choice couldn't have been an easy one, but she could see how a few survivors, even if they couldn't preserve the species, would be better than none. It gave them a chance to fight back, even in a small way, and they had clearly had some success. "Go on, Vigil."

"_When the researchers woke, they realized the Prothean species was doomed. There were only a dozen individuals left, far too few to sustain a viable population, yet the vowed to find a way to stop the Reapers from returning, a way to break the cycle forever, and they knew the Keepers were the key_.

"_The Keepers are controlled by the Citadel. Before each invasion, a signal was sent out through the station, compelling the Keepers to activate the Citadel Relay. After decades of feverish study, the scientists discovered a way to alter this signal. Using the Conduit, they gained access to the Citadel, and make the modifications. This time, when Sovereign sent the signal to the Citadel, the Keepers ignored it, and the Relay remained closed. The Reapers are trapped in darkspace._"

That explained why Sovereign needed the assistance of an organic, but not why they had spent so much time searching for the Conduit. Saren had been a Spectre, a trusted agent of the Council. He could have gone anywhere on the Citadel without being stopped, and opened the Relay to darkspace. Perhaps he had already tried, unsuccessfully, and for that reason sought out the Conduit. "The scientists did something else, didn't they?"

"_Though the Conduit was only a prototype, its construction opened up many potential areas of research, and those most responsible for its success were among those who survived. Before they left, they made alternations to the Relay here, on Ilos. It now generates a variable mass effect pulse, which travels along the corridor to the exit Relay on the Citadel. This pulse disrupts nearby mass effect activity, and prevents the Citadel Relay from activating._"

So Saren had attempted to open the Citadel Relay manually, and failed. Even had he known the cause, destroying the Relay Monument was not something he could have easily gotten away with, but now he had tracked the pulse to its source, and may have already shut it down.

"_The modifications also prevented the scientists from returning through the Conduit. They were trapped on the station. I do not know what happened to them, but it is unlikely that they found any food or water. Once the supplies they carried with them ran out, I fear they suffered a slow, grim death. I only know that they succeeded in their effort to seal the Relay. Your presence here proves that their sacrifice was not in vain._"

"Has Saren gone through the Conduit?"

"_No, though he is close. Its systems require greater power than this facility is still capable of producing, and reversing the scientist's modifications has taken time. If you hurry his departure can be prevented. I will continue to guide you through this facility._"

Kara shook her head. "No. If Sovereign is to be destroyed, Saren has to go through the Conduit. I'll have to catch him on the other side."

"_Once on the Citadel, he can transfer control of the station to Sovereign. Sovereign will override the Citadel's systems and manually open the Relay, and the cycle of extinction will begin again. You will have to defeat him before he can access the station's master controls._"

"Where can I find those?" Kara asked, though she had an idea—the Council chambers, at the top of the Presidium Tower.

"_I do not know. Follow Saren, and he will lead you there. It is possible that the scientists were able to leave additional assistance, before they died, for anyone that might come after them._"

Kara brushed her fingers through her hair, looking over her shoulder at her squad. She hadn't anticipated the need to actually catch Saren, but they were all well-armed and ready to go. More important would be seeing to the _Normandy_. She needed to let Kirrahe know about the change of plans. "Vigil, I need you to pass a message to my ship, once Sovereign leaves. Tell Kirrahe that I've found a different path back to the Citadel. And whatever information you have on the Reapers, I want it uploaded to the _Normandy_'s computer."

That was, she believed, almost as important as defeating Sovereign. Planning for the aftermath. With enough data—and she imagined that Vigil had collected everything it could, listening in the dark while the Prothean Empire crumbled—militaries leader might be able to draw up a workable strategy, and scientific teams might develop technological countermeasures. The more powerful the foe, the more important accurate information became; against the Reapers, she believed that it was essential.

"_I will do as you ask, but you must go now. The Conduit will not remain active for long, and Saren is prepared._"

Nodding, Kara turned back to her squad. Liara was still gazing wistfully at the VI, probably thinking of all the questions she could ask it, filling in those gaps with the Thorian hadn't, while Sayuri had a pensive look on her face.

"Look on the bright side, Shepard," Garrus said, his mask stretching around a grin. "At least this way, you get to put that bastard down yourself."

What a privilege that was, she thought irritably. How could he be so enthusiastic about death, when all of Ilos echoed with it? "Yes."

* * *

><p>The first thing that drew Kara's attention when she entered the room was the Conduit. Almost fifty meters away, and just over a hundred meters tall, it was bathed in dim orangish daylight, which filtered in through a hole in the high ceiling. Much of its internal workings were exposed, and what shell remained more closely resembled the beacons she'd encountered than a full-scale Relay. The other end of the chain, the monument on the Citadel, was a scale-model of the real thing, a demonstration of achievement meant to impress the lesser races. Mimicking what they though was the technology of their own precursor race, she supposed.<p>

The second thing that caught her eye was another Colossus—or a similar armored transport. Parts of its hull were opened up, armored panels raised like wings, revealing several of the humanoid platforms, folded compactly and stored, ready for swift deployment. Whether a different vehicle type or not, it would have made an excellent target for one of the Geth rockets, had she managed to secure a launcher. Saren stood nearby, as if inspecting his troops, and the explosion would have had the added benefit of convincing him to hurry.

Still, as she watched, the Geth walker sealed its hull, raised itself up on its four thick legs, and walked up to the Conduit. The miniature relay's field core lit up, and in the flash of light the Colossus was gone, accelerated up through the atmosphere, past Sovereign and the _Normandy_ in an instant. She couldn't be sure how many others had gone through before it, but even one was a major threat, and something CSec just wasn't equipped to handle.

Saren turned, as if aware of her presence. Kara shifted back into the shadows, which were deep enough to conceal her, if not from infrared detectors. Her own had been active since they entered the tunnels, a small image occupying a corner of her HUD, and she felt certain that he had done the same. The grim scowl that darkened his face, while his mandibles twitched irritably, was definitely for her. In the two and a half months since he had first heard her name, she had seen him stripped of Spectre status, and his secret empire dismantled. She had destroyed his main base, and beaten his most trusted allies, leaving him with nothing but the Geth. He knew she was near, even if he hadn't seen her.

The Turian backed towards a small tank, ducking through the open hatch with a final scowl in her direction.

"Sayuri, bring the _Ke'val_ up, carefully," Kara ordered quietly. "Saren's got a Turian tank near the Conduit—lay down some fire, but don't damage it."

"_Yes, sir_," the marine snapped. A few seconds later, the light vehicle appeared behind her, gliding past with the dull roar of its control thrusters. As soon as it was out into the hall, the pilot shifted it two meters off the ground, and began to fire. The _Ke'val_'s rear thrusters fired automatically with each shot, countering the heavy cannon's recoil.

The attack had its desired effect, not just in motivating Saren, who hastily accelerated towards the Prothean relay. In the shadows, she saw movement, as multiple humanoid Geth platforms rose out from cover, their single glowing eye flickering to life. One of them, not far from her position, looked like it might be carrying a rocket launcher. She pulled her new pistol from her belt, wrapping the ammo block in a disruption field, and opened fire. One advantage of the

The _Ke'val_ dropped to ground level, just long enough for Garrus and Liara to climb out, rolling as it rose to evade a rocket, swinging at the source of the attack. Kara had seen enough of the vehicle's cockpit to know that it provided the pilot with visual input from all directions, including automatic infrared switching and threat marking. The one time she'd used its built in training simulator, she'd found it overwhelming, but Sayuri managed to handle it well.

Stepping out from the cover of the entryway, Kara advanced on the nearest Geth, her biotically-charged shots cutting through its barriers. "Garrus," she shouted, as Sayuri swerved to avoid another rocket, "prioritize the ones with launchers."

Though they were a threat, Kara couldn't help but think that the Geth, rockets and all, weren't expected to stop her, but as a delaying tactic, and that the real ambush would happen on the Citadel. She imagined a Colossus waiting for them on the Presidium, and knew she needed to have a way to deal with it.

Between Sayuri in the air, and the rest of her squad on the the ground, they finished the Geth off quickly. While the pilot landed the _Ke'val_, Kara walked over to one of the fallen platforms, and picked up its discarded launcher, and a pair of extra rockets. They were a start, at least

"Let's go," she said quietly, as she made her way back to their vehicle, and climbed inside. She closed her eyes, as Sayuri guided them towards the Relay.

"Hold on, people," the marine said, but Kara felt only felt a slight lurch as the Conduit propelled them towards the Citadel at speeds of around two million times the speed of light.

* * *

><p><em>Played mostly straight. Why mess with a good thing, right<em>_? Obviously I needed to explain away the travel time, so Kara and company didn't end up spending two weeks in an extremely cramped armored vehicle, with not enough supplies and no place to pee, and I hope I did so believably._

_The other changes-the 'boosters', to explain how a miniature Prothean relay prototype could create a corridor some sixty thousand light years long, when even Primary Relays don't cover that distance; the modifications that disrupted the Citadel Relay-were minor fixes for possible plot holes._

_Thanks for reading, and feel free to leave a review._


	41. Chase

Update 12/11; Dahasmaga in the reviews prompted some much needed editing, and I made some minor alterations to the ending.

* * *

><p>CHAPTER FORTY-ONE<br>_Chase_

The _Ke'val_ passed through the Presidium's atmospheric barrier, and slammed down onto the Presidium at an odd angle, snapping off the right stabilizer wing and taking the main elevation control thruster with it. Spewing fuel from the ruptured line, the vehicle spun through the air, coming to a landing against the wall.

"Shit," Sayuri swore, hastily unbuckling her seat restraints. "Let's get out of here!"

Kara pulled the emergency release on the left-side hatch, and tumbled out onto the Presidium. The _Ke'val_'s artificial gravity had remained intact, but the vehicle had landed upside down, making for an awkward and briefly uncomfortable transition.

Shaking off her disorientation, Kara surveyed her surroundings. They had come in nearly on top of the Relay monument, if the scratched floor was any indication, and nearly crashed atop Saren's overturned tank. The only immediate geth presence was an Armature, about twenty meters along the ring, but its attention was focused on the broken hulk of Colossus—shattered from the inside, by the look of the surrounding wreckage. Someone, perhaps several people, had taken cover behind it.

This was her fault, in a very real sense. Dead civilians scattered about. The fallen CSec constables, who had deployed in an attempt to contain the hostile army that appeared in the very heart of the Citadel, with no warning at all. She had hoped, futilely it seemed, that Kirrahe would have found a way to warn them; maybe the _Normandy_ had been ambushed and destroyed. Clouds of smoke rose from as much as half a kilometer away, which encompassed the embassy section and CSec's Presidium offices, filling the air up to the clear blue holographic sky.

"Sir, we've got to move," Sayuri said urgently, her hand on Kara's shoulder. "The _Ke'val_…"

"Yes," Kara replied. The marine meant its supply of liquid hydrogen fuel, which could be explosively ignited by any number of common battlefield phenomenon. She gestured for the rest of her team to follow her, moving cautiously towards the Armature. The choice between helping clear the Presidium and catching Saren was not one she wanted to make, but the lives she might save were no balance to the billion who would die if she failed.

"Garrus," she asked quietly, as they crouched behind a damaged aircar, "can you contact CSec, and find out where Saren went?"

The turian nodded. "Shouldn't be a problem, Shepard."

"Good, do it," Kara said. "Sayuri, I'm going after that Armature. Be ready to back me up."

"Alone?" the marine whispered.

Kara gave her a short not, before moving up to the next available piece of cover, a reddish-colored bush. The Armature was the geth's equivalent of a Mako, in terms of armor and firepower, and a challenge to destroy on foot, but she didn't want to waste her limited supply of rockets. Instead, she unclipped a grenade from her belt, and pressed the activation switch, tossed the weapon at the enemy.

She wasn't the best aim, but she didn't have to be, using her biotics to control its velocity and trajectory. The grenade landed neatly on the Armature's back, bouncing once; the light walker had begun to turn, attempting to locate its new attacker, when the weapon exploded, blowing a ten centimeter hole in its armor.

Kara pulled her pistol, using it to gesture to the rest of her team, as she concentrated on punching a sizable hole the walker's barriers. She could feel Liara helping to stabilize the gap, as she began to open fire; with both its layers of defenses breached, her shots were able to tear into its delicate circuitry, and it collapsed with a chittering electronic wail.

A turian, female by the shape her of helmet, appeared over the shattered Colossus, pointing her rifle in Kara's direction, but only for a moment. "Shepard!"

"Orlanis?" Kara inquired, recognizing the _etkure_'s voice through her helmet filters.

"At last," the turian said, walking around the downed geth. Kaliran and Lixandris, if Kara wasn't mistaken, followed her out. "Saren went up the Tower ten minutes ago. We tried to go after him, but we got pinned down."

"Then let's go," Kara told her, "and you can tell me what's happening on the way."

Orlanis nodded. "There's a working private lift around back," she said, as they waited for Garrus and Sayuri to join them. "They locked this one down, to protect the Council. I couldn't get them to evacuate."

That was unfortunate, but didn't quite counter her relief at the turian's presence, as a sign that the _Normandy_ had survived the last two weeks.

"This way," Orlanis continued, leading them along the arc of the Presidium. "We got your message as soon as all the geth left orbit of Ilos. By the time we were ready to follow, they were almost six hours ahead of us, but they'd left an ambush on Relay 112. We escaped, and barely managed to limp back here in time to warn the Executor, five minutes before the first geth came through the monument. CSec mobilized enough personnel to hold off the first wave, and evacuate most of the civilians, but a group coming out of the Tower got caught in the crossfire."

That should never have been allowed to happen, but it wasn't Orlanis' fault. "The geth would have killed them in the Tower, if they hadn't come out."

"I know," the turian said, as she paused to open a CSec access gate, put in place to prevent civilians from wandering about in the Presidium's upper infrastructure—those parts that organic races could easily explore and integrate into their own societies. "Anyway, it gave then an advantage, and with more walkers coming through the monument, we were forced to fall back."

"From the chatter on the command channel, it sounds like they were contained on the Presidium, with moderate casualties," Garrus added. "They're mobilizing reinforcements, and hope to start moping up soon."

The access corridors were narrow and dimly lit, but free of geth. Orlanis led them quickly and quietly, first deeper into the infrastructure, then left, towards the Tower Bridge. "Captain, the Citadel fleet is currently fighting the geth, outside the Citadel. Our ships were outnumbered four to one. We haven't heard from them since we docked."

That sounded like grim news, but Kara was prepared to wonder if the _etkure_ hadn't mistaken the situation; the Council had intended to lay a trap, and she may not have seen it sprung. They must have had a chance to assess the strength of the geth fleet, and plan accordingly. At least Kirrahe, with his STG training telling him to avoid a head-on confrontation with a superior foe, would be unlikely to take the _Normandy_ into the fray.

Still, it was difficult not to worry, considering that thousands of asari, turians and salarians would likely die in cold space. She quickened her pace; it was time they ended this.

* * *

><p>The private lift brought them across the bridge, and part way up the Tower, before it lost power and ground to a halt. Forcing open the door, they climbed out into an undecorated corridor, the bare walls the usual Citadel-grey. They were still somewhere in the Tower's infrastructure, though the lift went all the way to the top—with the fighting on the Presidium still ongoing, Kara might have assumed that a stray shot had cut the power, but the Tower's systems operated off an independent power source. There was likely a security post somewhere above them, which the geth might have just overrun, giving them access to some of those systems.<p>

"The Tower is protected by the Council's personal guard, including all access points," Garrus said, answering her thoughts. "It wouldn't normally be a high priority for invaders. All the major systems, like closing the wards, are controlled from CSec headquarters."

Or, she guessed, the Citadel's master controls. Unfortunately, even had she known where they were, she did not know how to reach them. "Can you get us to the Council chambers?"

"Not without climbing the lift-shaft, sorry," the turian replied. "I don't know my around the Tower."

Kara turned to Orlanis, to see if the _etkure_ had superior knowledge, but she was already considering Garrus' offhand suggestion. The climb would be a long one, but it would go much faster than running about looking for the stairs. It also had the advantage of circumventing whatever geth forces had occupied the floors above. "Then let's get climbing."

"Shepard," the turian nodded, turning back towards the lift.

Orlanis caught Kara's arm, before she could follow him. "Captain, I think I can find my own way up. If we can put some pressure on the geth, you'll have a better chance of getting through."

"You're certain?" Kara inquired.

"I once spent several days up here, helping the Council Guard hunt down a batarian saboteur," the _etkure_ said. "I will find a way."

The most difficult part of climbing the lift would be exiting under fire, which made a route up through the tower more appealing. However, Orlanis' strategy had merit. "We're too far down for that," Kara decided. The geth would not attempt to occupy the entire tower, but would gather near the master controls. "I need you closer to the action."

"Understood, Captain," the _etkure_ nodded.

Kara turned back towards the lift. Garrus had removed the access hatch from the top of the carriage, and helped Sayuri through. She was in the process of pulling him up after her when Kara arrived.

"Garrus, you'll lead," Kara ordered, once he was through. Just in case they needed his expertise to open the door above. Using biotics to assist them, she and Liara were able to climb easily through the hatch.

Outside the carriage, the mass-effect generated gravity was less than one-third the tower's standard, which would make the climb somewhat less grueling. Looking up, she estimated they had nearly half a kilometer to go, and a possible firefight just to escape the shaft.

* * *

><p>"I though you wanted to go straight to the top?" Garrus asked, looking down at her from his perch next to the first floor exit, one level below the Council chambers.<p>

"If I were Saren, I'd have an ambush waiting up there," Kara replied. "Our position would be impossible."

The turian nodded. "Yeah. I figured you had an idea for handling it."

By then, Kara had finished getting into position, clinging somewhat precariously on the far side of the door, with her pistol held in her right hand. She hoped they were in territory still controlled by the Council Guard, but she preferred to be prepared. "Open it."

Garrus pumped the manual release, opening the door in slow bursts. Despite his grunting, Kara thought she could hear movement on the other side. And voices. Several people, speaking urgently in a variety of Council languages. "I'm a Spectre," she announced. "I'm coming out."

"… Shepard?"

It sounded like Sparatus' voice, though the first thing Kara saw when she leaned over was not the Councillor, but a heavily armed turian, studying her through the scope of a rifle. He was backed up by a salarian, a biotic judging by his armor design.

"That's her. Stand down," Sparatus said, rising from behind a couch, pushed into position for use as cover. He was wearing armor as well, and quite comfortably, but he had served his ten years in the turian navy.

Kara stepped out onto the floor, breathing a sigh of relief, though her legs protested the change in gravity. "What's your situation?" she asked, turning to help Liara and Sayuri climb up. She sympathized with the marine, who groaned and began to stretch as soon as she was up—heavy armor was less flexible, in addition to its extra mass, making her climb that much more difficult.

"Geth forces have taken the Tower, but they've left us alone, so long as we stay put. Communications are down, so we can't request reinforcements. What's going on?"

Briefly, Kara explained how the geth had arrived, and what she had learned on Ilos about the Citadel and the Reapers. "Now I need to find Saren and the master controls," she finished.

"You're in luck. He's in the Council Chambers—we saw him enter on the security system," Sparatus said, gesturing that she should follow him. "Getting you up there isn't going to be easy, but we do have a weapon we've been keeping in reserve."

The turian led them into a small room, set up as a dining hall. It was presently empty, understandable given the circumstances, except for Councillor Valern. Several geth stood against the far wall. One of them turned its glowing eye towards her. "Shepard-Spectre."

"It's the same one you met on Solcrum, the Ambassador from the Consensus. We've taken to calling it Legion."

That was a translation, but Kara understood the reference. A single unit, made up of multiple individual programs.

"It says it can hack Heretic platforms, and take temporary control," Sparatus continued. Turian military doctrine dictated that such a weapon be held back until the moment of maximum advantage, which was strategically sound. "That should be enough to give us the advantage."

"The heretics here are cut off, and vulnerable to attack," Legion said, in its dry synthesized voice. "We are prepared to assist in all efforts to stop the Old Machines. This platform is optimized for communication, and must remain behind, but the others are combat models and will accompany you. We will act through them."

Kara nodded at the geth. "We could use the help. Sparatus, you know this place better than I do. Do you have a plan?"

The turian nodded, leading them off again. "This floor was designed to be defensible. We can lay down crossfire on the geth position, but they set up barricades. The only way out is to rush them."

"Lieutenant Septalus is fighting her way up from below." The _etkure_ had gotten out of the lift-shaft two floors below, along with the geth rocket launcher Kara had brought from Ilos. She had finally decided that it was more valuable in creating a distraction, rather than helping her to blast a path through the geth. "She'll try to provide a distraction."

"That's good news, but can we afford to wait?"

Kara brushed her fingers through her hair, wishing she had a proper answer, or a proper plan; that she didn't feel like she was blundering forward blindly. She just didn't have enough information, and that was what made a decision impossible. "I want to assess the geth forces for myself," she replied, "then I'll decide."

* * *

><p>"Shit," Sayuri hissed, under her breath, as they glanced out into the geth-controlled landing. "Shit. <em>Shit<em>."

Kara smiled, unwittingly. While she would have chosen something a little more descriptive, she understood the sentiment—the Heretics had chosen to defend their position with a Colossus, in addition to a half-dozen smaller platforms. She wondered why Sparatus had not chosen to inform her, but it wasn't as if she had an alternative. She would have to work on a strategy, because they lacked the firepower for a straight up confrontation, and she didn't think Legion would be much help.

The lobby itself was about five meters deep, and eight wide, monitored by the Guard's security station on the left side. There, protected by a fixed mass effect barrier, they could fire upon any attackers with impunity. The geth's barricades were mostly focused on defending from that position, leaving only the Colossus vulnerable, but the Guard lacked any weapons that might effect it. There weren't normally required to fight off an army, however; the fended off the occasional would-be assassin, and had dealt with krogan death squads and batarian commandos, but no heavy vehicles.

"Are you alright?" she inquired, once she'd returned her lips to their proper serious line.

"Yeah," the marine nodded. "You ever notice how much bigger they are when you're on foot? No, I guess you wouldn't."

"She shot down a geth frigate on Ilos," Garrus said, his attention directed at a tired-looking _etkure_, "just to cut off their reinforcements. We were almost crushed."

"Uh, yeah," the female turian replied, suitably unimpressed. "So I guess she's going to pull that thing apart with her bare claws, right?"

"Human's don't have claws, but yeah, she'll—"

Kara smiled, turning her attention to Liara as the asari's hand closed around hers. "Hey."

The young asari's smile provided a welcome distraction, as she moved in close, feinting a kiss, her breath warm on Kara's cheek.

They were not usually so public, which made her feel slightly awkward, but Kara brushed the feeling aside, focusing her attention of her lover's face; the shape of her eyes, the roundness of her cheeks, and the texture of her skin. It was easy to forget about the battle, with so effective a distraction so close.

They fell, after a few more feints, into a deep kiss. Most of the energy came from Liara's side, almost frantic in her haste. Fearful, Kara realized, of her health and safety, and not without reason. They stood an excellent chance of meeting further resistance, as they pushed towards Saren, and the turian himself was dangerous.

"Shepard." Sparatus' voice sounded distinctly irritated. Kara ignored him, allowing Liara to finish the kiss in her own time. The geth would wait, for at least a little longer.

"Shepard!" the _etkuri_ repeated, now sharply angry. "Spirits, is sex all you humans ever think about? I've assembled everyone I can spare. It's time to move out."

Kara sighed, leaning her forehead against Liara's. How exactly did one deal with a Colossus, without heavy weapons? Anything that big, packed into so small a space, was vulnerable, if only she could figure out how. Her troops had the advantage of mobility, able to keep moving, and thus stay out of range of the vehicle's main gun. The distraction—taking up processing power—might give legion an opening to… what? They needed to take it down, which meant they needed to get through its armor… Of course. "I have a plan," she declared, smiling. "Legion, can you convince that Colossus to open its hatch?"

"_The presence of a heavy assault platform makes any command level access difficult,_" Legion replied, speaking through one of its combat platforms. "_We will attempt to introduce an error into its consensus, and convince it to deploy addition units_."

"Get started," Kara said. "Alright, Sparatus. We'll attack as planned, and hope the distraction might make Legion's job easier. Once the Colossus is down, my squad and I will make for the stairs. Don't let anything follow us up."

"Not bad," the turian said, nodding his approval. "Take it down from the inside."

As he moved away, beginning to issue the new orders to his troops, Kara turned back to her lover. "Thanks."

The young asari offered a pleased smile. "You're welcome."

"There's one last thing, Liara," Kara said, holding her lover's gaze. "If Saren has already activated the Citadel, you may be the only one with a chance of shutting it down. I need you to hang back, and get to the controls once he's beaten."

Liara's eyes narrowed, the beginning of a protest, but it never formed. "Of course, Kara. I understand."

Kara touched the asari's lips with a light kiss, and backed away. Vigil had told them that the prothean scientists might have left a final surprise, after sabotaging the Keeper's signal, and the only logical place to leave such a thing was in the control systems themselves.

"Sayuri," Kara continued, turning her attention to the marine. "Are you ready?"

"Yeah. Yeah," the marine nodded. She had found a place to sit against the side wall, out of the way. "So, maybe closer to pissing myself, but I'll manage. How the hell are we supposed to distract something that big?"

"Move fast and try to stay out of its way," Kara replied, sitting beside her, and laying a hand on her shoulder. "We can't hurt it, so concentrate on the smaller platforms."

"Right. It's hard to remember that they're all one… consensus, right? No chain of command, no glorious leader."

Kara smiled. "No mouthy marines," she added dryly.

"Then they are truly evil," Sayuri said, straight-faced. Her solemn expression seemed about to break when the marine sighed, her lips twisting into a frown, instead of a smile. "Time to go."

Kara pushed to her feet, offering the marine a hand up. Sparatus had just ordered the heavy door unsealed, as a half-dozen soldier waited, against the wall, for the order to go; a pair of heavily armored turians in front, followed by biotic support, and then more soldiers.

Pulling her rifle from its clamps, she moved to join the councillor.

* * *

><p>Kara picked herself up cautiously, checking first to see that the Colossus was truly finished, and then that no other geth were about. About half the lobby's former occupants were down, and the rest were exposed, soon to be destroyed by her remaining allies. She almost fired at another, which approached with Liara, before realizing that it was one of Legion's. It had been that sort of battle, frantic and thoroughly desperate—the sort she preferred to avoid. They had swept past the enemy vehicle, losing one of their vanguard to its fire in the first few seconds. After that, it was mostly out of the fight, unable to turn fast enough as its allied platforms were attacked.<p>

Thankfully, Legion successfully accessed the large vehicle before it finished turning, and forced open its hatch. She hadn't seen who had delivered the grenade, but the resulting explosion had been effective.

Following Liara, Sparatus had entered with reinforcements, and a pair of medics to check over the fallen. Kara had seen three of the guard go down, one of whom she knew was dead. The other two she couldn't say.

Liara's expression was one of relief, as the asari took her hand, but her eye flickered past Kara's shoulder, and her brow tightened. "Garrus, are you okay?"

"Yeah," the turian replied. His voice had an unusual edge—pain, Kara realized, as she turned to face him. One of the geth's bullets had punctured his armor, and dark blue blood leaked from the wound in his left shoulder. From its location, the shard might have damaged a lung, and would probably take away use of the arm. "I'm fine. We should get moving."

"You'll have to stay here," she told him, catching his eye firmly to cut off any protest. "Get that wound seen to. Sayuri?"

"Ma'am?"

The marine, at least, had no obvious injuries. Losing Garrus was a problem she felt the mission could survive; losing both would have required that she beg reinforcements for Sparatus. "Let's go."

"_Shepard-Spectre_."

Kara had already half-turned when the geth spoke, and she paused, turning her head in its direction. The external differences between the advanced platform and its guards were subtle, but evident up close; they were a darker grey, and the lack of flexibility around their glowing 'face' made them seen less expressive, though they spoke in the same voice. "Yes, Legion?"

"_This platform will accompany you, and assist in your mission._"

She had to admit, their help against the Colossus had been the deciding factor, and it was possible—though unlikely, she felt—that they could face another. She didn't think she could afford to turn away the extra help, even if she still had doubts about the Consensus' commitment to peace. It was just as well that Tali wasn't with them. She nodded shortly.

The stairs to the floor above were on the left side of the room, next to the security station, and opposite the stairs down. They continued straight for about twenty meters, then turned left. From there, the path climbed in steady terraces, much like the Council Chambers. On the right, windows revealed a view of the wards, and the nebula beyond, while on the left doors led to rooms filled with, she guessed, offices for minor officials and storage space. They met no opposition, as they moved quickly and quietly along the length of the tower.

At last, they approached another intersection. Ahead, the path rose sharply, leading to the balcony from which the Council saw petitions. To the right was the exit of the private lift, presently unguarded, which left led out on to the petitioner's bridge. Kara peered carefully around the corner; the doors had been blasted open. There were still no sign of geth.

"_Shepard-Spectre,_" Legion said, though the combat platform, "_we detected further Heretic presence nearby. They are aware of our approach._"

Another ambush, made up, she assumed, of those geth assigned to guard the lift. They would be set up on whichever path led most directly to Saren and the master controls. "Can you be more precise?"

"_Within five meters. Signal density indicates approximately five units. We could attempt to take control of one from here._"

"Do it," Kara nodded. It would, a minimum, reveal their position, and might provide an opening for attack. She turned to Sayuri, gesturing for the marine to take up position on the other side of the doorway, and for Liara to go along.

"_Working_," the geth said quietly, standing motionless, but she knew its attention was focused elsewhere. "_Hacking attempt successful._"

Kara didn't wait for confirmation, waving for Sayuri to follow, and charging through the broken door. A single geth had risen out of cover, and was firing at another three, and an Armature. Had its attention had not been focused on its rogue ally, she would have been in trouble, but the distraction allowed her to pull the same trick she had before, landing her last grenade on its back before it even noticed her. Again, she ripped a hole in its barriers with Liara's help, and quickly brought it down. The remaining platforms were easily destroyed, with it out of the way.

With the immediate threat out of the way, Kara began scanning the room for Saren. It didn't take long to find him; the turian was standing on the Petitioner's Bridge, at the center of the room, a holographic control system projected into the air in front of him. "Liara, remember what I said," she began, frowning at her adversary. She wasn't at all sure she could take him, but she really had no choice. She had to try. "Keep down until he's dead. Sayuri, you're with me. Legion, I need you watching for more Heretics."

She waited until they confirmed their orders, then began to make her way towards the base of the bridge. The hall below appeared deserted, with no visible geth presence, and no bodies.

"You're too late, Shepard." Saren had turned to face her, still standing at the end of the bridge, his expression scornful. Behind him, something flashed on a diagram of the Citadel, but the labels were in symbols which she didn't even recognize.

Perhaps he expected denial, or outrage; an attempt to convince him that he was wrong and should change his mind. Something to waste time. "Let's forget about the lies, Saren. I'm not going to stand down. Too many people have died to get me here for that."

"Then you'll die, _Spectre_. You've already lost. Sovereign has already torn through the Council's meagre fleet. It will soon have full control of the Citadel's systems. They relay will open. The Reapers will return."

Kara shook her head, and stopped at the base of the bridge. For all that either one of them knew, Sovereign had already been destroyed, and Saren was the last holdout of a failed invasion. "Let's just do this."

"I'm disappointed, Shepard," Saren said, pulling his rifle from its clamps. "I thought you'd try to save me."

Kara shook her head, raising her pistol. She _had_ tried, on Virmire, and nothing had changed since them. Focusing her mind on the her biotic forms, she struggled to breach his barriers. The turian observed her, unimpressed.

"I suppose I should thank you. After Virmire, I couldn't stop thinking about what you said, about the Reapers manipulating me. About Indoctrination. The doubts began to eat away at me. Sovereign sensed my hesitation. It upgraded me, to strengthen my resolve.

"Now my doubts are gone. I believe in Sovereign completely. If you will not join us, you will die."

Saren flung a wave of biotic energy at her, and she rolled aside, taking refuge behind a planter. So, something _had_ changed, but not for the better. He was a real Reaper soldier, now, upgraded with their technology. She had barely held her own in the last encounter; how could she hope to beat him now? "And that makes me wrong?"

"Our relationship is symbiotic, Shepard. Organic and machine intwined, a union of flesh and steel. The strengths of both, the weaknesses of neither. I am a vision of the future, the final evolution of all organic life. This is our destiny. Join with us, and experience a true rebirth."

He was stalling—she was sure of it. Unless he really felt the need to convert her to his side. Did he still have doubts, that his confidence hinged on her opinion?

"Liara," Kara whispered, turning to the asari. She had taken cover behind the same planter, less than five meters from the controls. "It's time. Follow right behind me."

"Kara, wait—"

She didn't, rolling out of cover and sprinting at the Indoctrinated turian. Bullet's pelted her barriers, but she was confident they would hold long enough for her to cover the distance. She needed a few seconds only, but the failure warning was already flashing on her HUD, too soon. She felt two shards impact against her armor, almost knocking her off her feet, and threw up a biotic barrier to protect herself while she regained her momentum. It was too late, as a sort of odd warmth spread across her chest.

She forced her legs to carry her forward, and she crashed into her surprised opponent. They were too close for barriers, now, but while the turian had dropped his rifle in order to meet her, she still clutched her pistol, and she firing several shots into his abdomen as he tried to grapple with her; they fell, together, though the holographic controls. The turian struck the rail with a cry of pain, and their momentum carrier them over it. Over the edge.

They fell through the glass roof protecting the sunken arboretum. Saren landed on top of her, leaving her gasping for breath with lungs that burned when she inhaled. Somehow, she had managed to cling to her pistol, and brought it clumsily to bear. They were too close for barriers, and she fired repeatedly before he wrenched the weapon from her hands.

As the turian aimed her own gun at her head, she found herself laughing, which hurt even more than breathing. They had been in the same position before, on the other side of the galaxy, and Benezia had almost killed her in the same way. It wasn't much fun, but it seemed ridiculous; she wasn't even sure how he was still alive, with blue blood oozing from at least a half dozen wounds, spread from his abdomen to his chest. And who was going to save her this time?

Sayuri. The marine landed on the kneeling turian in a flash of brown armor, and the two rolled away. Kara tried to sit up to witness their struggle, but she found herself coughing up blood. By the time the fit subsided, the fight was over, and Saren was looming over her again.

_Again_. She stared at him, snarling. If he had hurt Sayuri, she would find a way to finish him. Somehow. He raised her pistol and—

His barriers flared, and the base of his skull exploded outward with a sickening thump. It was, finally, enough to finish him, and his lifeless body collapsed into bloody pile. She could recognize the effect of a well aimed sniper rifle when she saw it, and the shot had come from the Council's balcony.

She wondered who had fired it.

"Sayuri?"

"Yeah, Kara?" the marine asked, limping into view. She was cradling her left arm, as though it was broken. That was not an easy thing to do to someone in armor. "Can I get you something?"

Kara laughed softly, ignoring the pain. "No. Just glad to see you're alive."

"Yeah. Saren was more interested in you, which is good. I'm just glad Orlanis showed up when she did."

Right. Lixandris was a competent sniper, as she recalled. "I though I told her to protect the Council."

"You want me to yell at her for you, or should I have her send for a doctor?"

Kara laughed again, but this time it turned into a fit of painful cough. The doctor, she decided.

* * *

><p><em>Well, that feels like it took forever. Hopefully, the next will go quicker, but no promises on my part. Only twenty-five hundred words to go, and I'll pass two hundred thousand for this story. I'm ready to admit, at this point, that I'm not planning Antiheroine II, but I'm sure you'll find my plans for the epilogue to be highly artistic, with room for lots of speculation for everyone.<em>

_Which is to say, it may not be popular. Lots of fan outcry won't change my mind on that, but it might get you a sequel. I do have fans, right? Groupies? Worshipers?_

_No? Well, leave a review anyway, and I'll be back when the final chapter is done._


	42. Aftermath

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO  
><em>Aftermath<em>

Kara smiled softly. She recalled being moved to the _Normandy_'s sickbay by the medical team, after it had finally responded to their calls, and Karin's cool diagnosis. Three fractured ribs, and moderate trauma to her left lung, were restrictive injuries, but not life threatening when treated quickly. Taking her to the ship, rather than the nearest hospital, had been Sayuri's idea, to reduce strain on their staff, which had been dealing with large numbers of injured civilians. And she preferred the privacy. The thought that she'd have to endure official celebrations and award ceremonies was not a pleasant one, but it had yet to penetrate her relief at being _done_.

Also, the weight of someone's head rested against her uninjured left shoulder, and soft hair brushed against her cheek when she moved. She did hope that Brynja had not spent too much of the last two weeks worrying about her, when the same time for her had passed in a few hours. There was no one else in the room. She jostled the younger woman slightly. "Wake up, love."

"Mm…?" Brynja muttered. Her tired expression did not change into one of happiness, as Kara expected. "Hey."

"Is something wrong?"

"No." Yes. She sighed, guessing that she hadn't concealed the truth very well. "It's not, I don't know, urgent?"

Carefully, Kara pushed herself up. Her ribs hurt when she moved, and her shoulder whenever she shifted her right arm. Karin would probably protest to her moving at all. In her condition, she really didn't want to hear anything depressing, but it was preferable to lies. "I want you to kiss me, Brynja," she said quietly. "If you won't do that, then I need you to talk to me."

"I'm having second thoughts," Brynja stated bluntly. "About us. I wanted you so badly, I thought I could make do with part of you, but two weeks is a long time. I missed you all the time, and I realized; I'd be missing you anyway, because you'd be with Liara. I don't want to resent her, Kara. She looks so happy just to be with you, it's stunning."

The blond stood, and laid a warm hand on Kara's thigh. A full smiled turned the corners of her mouth, but her eyes remained somehow sad. "I'm not ready to give up on you, though. I just need to—"

Kara slipped off the bed, and wrapped her working arm around the younger woman. It hurt, to hold her close, but it was better than having her at a distance. She could, at least, dismiss the pain.

"—spend more time with you," Brynja breathed. "I _do_ love you, Kara."

By the time they began kissing, the blond's fingers were already pressing into Kara's thigh. After two weeks, she couldn't be blamed for her desire, but this was not the place—the infirmary did not even have a sealable door.

Reluctantly, Kara pushed away. "Not now," she whispered. "Tonight, you and I, a full bed. We may have to take it slow."

"Yeah?" Brynja smiled, and patted Kara's ass firmly. "I'll be there.

"Now, you sit back down, and I'll go get Karin."

* * *

><p>After undergoing to a final checkup, Kara's arm was placed in a sling, and she left sickbay. Karin mentioned treating Sayuri's shoulder, which had been dislocated rather than broken, and that Garrus had checked in later. His wound had been less severe than hers, without even a punctured lung, but he also wore a sling until his shoulder could heal. Kirrahe had evidently reduced the ship to minimum staff, sending the rest off on leave, much to her relief, as those that remained seemed intent of congratulating her repeatedly on her victory. As there was nothing else of immediate concern, she fled as quickly as she could.<p>

Meeting up with Liara, Kara followed the asari to a small café in the commons of the asari sector of the Presidium. The geth had been contained in the grounds below, and finished off just six hours earlier, doing significant damage before the end. The dead and wounded had been long since recovered, and now cleanup crews could be seen moving about, while life away from the battlefield had already begun to return to normal.

They sat down at a table near the railing, and after a few minutes of intimate conversation over a menu, ordered from a solemn asari maiden, who studied her with barely concealed surprise. She didn't think she would ever be completely comfortable with being recognized by strangers, but at least this one had decided not to interrupt her life with unwanted praise.

"So," Liara said, when the waitress disappeared. "It's over."

Kara nodded, keeping the asari's hand entwined in hers. "I've been thinking about what comes next," she said quietly. "I'd like to hear your opinion."

"Is this that chat about the future you promised?"

"The beginning of it, at least," Kara replied. They had shared a common thought, at the time, though they had not expressed it. "A child."

"Yes," Liara agreed. "Kara junior."

"No," Kara replied firmly, though she couldn't tell if the asari was serious. Her expression was inscrutable. "Absolutely not."

"Well," Liara smirked, "okay. So long as she has your eyes."

Kara breathed a sigh of relief, ending with a laugh, and a light kiss on her lover's cheek. Names were not terribly important to her, and her own was quite serviceable, but she did not want a daughter of hers to be so unavoidably tied to her legacy. A new life deserved a clean start. "What about the rest of it? The Council may wish to keep me on as a Spectre."

"There's always another battle to be fought," Liara said, "as you noted yourself, but there is also someone else to fight them. Kara, we'll be at your side on whatever missions you take. I've always regretted not knowing my _ilatra_, and I want our child to know you, but… I'd rather she didn't grow up surrounded by violence."

To bring a child into a Spectre's life… Liara was right to be uncomfortable with the notion, and that with the Conduit discovered and Saren dead, she was no longer indispensable. She was free to walk away, but she didn't know if she wanted to. She could hope that the Council would make the choice for her, but she wasn't certain that they would, even though had certainly given them enough cause. "I'm not sure what to do," she sighed. "I'll have to keep thinking about it."

Liara smiled encouragingly. "It would seem we have the time," she said. "I'm going to start compiling what I've learned about the protheans in the last three months. I admit, I look forward to shaking things up."

Kara gave her lover's hand a final squeeze, before releasing it, as the waitress reappeared with their food. They talked a while about the protheans as they ate, and then the conversation turned to more trivial matters. Or more important ones. It all depended on perspective.

* * *

><p>"Hey, wake up," Brynja's voice whispered, the blond's warm breath tickling her ear. "Your girlfriend has cooked you an amazing meal. She hopes you're hungry."<p>

Kara started to laugh, but it ended in a groan; her ribs seemed to be aching more again. "You didn't have to do that," she muttered, allowing the blond to help her up.

"No," Brynja agreed. She had gotten her hair trimmed since the morning, leaving just enough length to frame her narrow face, and found a slate-blue button-up shirt that brought out her eyes.

"Well, I'm grateful," Kara smiled. After finishing her meal with Liara, she secured a block of suites for herself and her crew in one of the Presidium's better sections, and settled down to work on her report. She attached the files Vigil had uploaded to the _Normandy_ without reviewing them, focusing instead on what it had told them, and what she had observed. It didn't seem like much had changed, since they'd left Noveria; in fact, she still felt largely ignorant about the Reapers and their methods. Indoctrination, the Citadel Trap… did they have ground troops of their own? Did they come in more than one size? How many of them were there? She hoped Vigil's files would answer some of those questions. Her injuries, though, were leaving her fatigued, and rather than studying the data, she had lain down for a nap. "What time is it?"

"Nineteen hundred," Brynja replied, placing Kara's hand on her arm in true gentlemanlike fashion, and leading her into the kitchen. The small dining table had been set for two, and decorated with a bouquet of mixed flowers and a set of candles. "I though about waking you earlier, to keep me company in the kitchen, but you looked so content that I couldn't bear to disturb you."

Kara didn't quite know what to make of it all. It was… romantic, she supposed, in a way she'd never encountered. The military lifestyle didn't leave much room for it, between crowded ships and shifting assignments, and her life before had been too much of adventure. Or maybe it had just been her; either way, she wasn't sure if she cared much for it. "This is, um, sweet of you?"

"Why, thank you," Brynja said. Her eyes were sparkling in the candlelight, as she helped Kara scoot her chair in.

"It's nothing fancy," she continued, as she went to collect their meal, "but I enjoy dressing things up a little."

Was she referring to the table settings, or her cooking?

"Sometimes, I think I like it because it reminds me of all those nights around a campfire. I don't have as much experience cooking in a kitchen, of course, but I managed to fit a few classes in as electives."

The blond set a plate, heavily laden with food, in front of Kara, and a much sparser one at her own place, before sitting down.

"I think you're just a hopeless romantic," Kara smiled. There was something primitively fascinating about the way light from the small flames danced across the woman's sharply elegant features.

Brynja smiled shyly, looking down at her plate and covering her embarrassment with a bite of… something. Kara wasn't at all certain what they were eating, but it looked properly vegetarian, and had a pleasingly complex flavor.

"Brynja," Kara said, setting aside her fork after a few minutes of silent eating. "I've been thinking about what I'm going to do, now that Saren is dead, and I'd like to hear your opinion."

"I'm not sure… you're not thinking about, um, putting up your guns?"

"I am," Kara admitted. "Liara wants to have a child with me, and yes, I'm ready. I didn't expect it, but… yes."

"No, Kara," Brynja said flatly. "I mean, not kids. I mean, kids are between you and Li, but you can't just walk away. I agree with you, the Alliance sucks, but humanity is in desperate need for someone with the wisdom and courage to make things better. If not you, then who else is there?"

Another battle to be fought. And another. "Look, Brynja, what you're asking, I don't have it in me. I've done my part."

"Done your part?" the blond demanded. "Kara, you were given intelligence and dedication in measures I can't even dream of. You're charming, and self-confident, not to mention fucking gorgeous. The heroine doesn't get to walk away; she fights until all her battles are won."

"Don't talk about me like that," Kara hissed. It made her uncomfortable, as though Brynja's feelings were more reverence than love, and it would taint everything about their relationship.

"Like what? Like you're someone special?" Brynja scowled, dropping her fork. "You _are_. And if you didn't want my opinion, you shouldn't have bothered to ask. I'm sure you'll do whatever the fuck you want anyway. You always do."

"What _I_ want?" Kara sighed. "I wanted the Council to send someone else after Saren. If not for Tali, I'd have told them so."

"Don't tell me you're sleeping with her, too."

Kara stood, frowning. She could see that Brynja regretted the accusation, but… no. She just didn't want to be there anymore. "Excuse me," she said softly, and walked slowly out of the suite.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Kara awoke to find a Council summons waiting on her omnitool, requesting her presence later in the morning. It had not been a good night for her, lying alone on her bed, worried about what had been said. She had not wanted to turn to Liara, but she at least knew she could, while Brynja had simply been alone with her regret. That was, as she well know, a lonely place to be, flooded with echoes of happier times. Unfortunately, she didn't feel like she could make an offer of reconciliation, and did her best to push the disastrous evening from her mind, as she made her way to the same Tower conference room where she'd met the Council before.<p>

"Captain Shepard," Sparatus said, standing to greet her, as she entered the small room. "We've just been discussing proper recognition for your accomplishments. Adar suggested we ask for your input."

"Just let me fade away," Kara said firmly, meeting the matriarch's gaze. If they knew each other at all, she had expected that response. "I'm not interested in inspiring the next generation of soldiers."

"I wish we could," Valern sighed. "You're dangerous. A disruptive influence. Not someone to be held up as an example."

Kara smiled. In stopping Saren, she had done what she had to, but in going beyond that—what the salarian called disruptive—she had perhaps done something to be proud of. She had taken a stand for the truth, at least.

"This Council has stood for twenty-five hundred years," Adar pointed out, "and recents events have proven that we could use some disruption."

Valern scowled, but did not dispute this.

"Which is why," the asari continued, ignoring her salarian counterpart, "you've been nominated for the Silver Star."

Kara's breath caught in her throat; the Star was the Asari Republic's most prestigious award, and it did not go to soldiers. It went to diplomats and scientists, people who contributed to peace or society, or who revealed dark secrets. She did not feel worthy of the honor.

"What?" Sparatus demanded. "You said the Citadel Medallion was too much. How can you even consider—"

"I said it was inappropriate," Adar replied. "We're all aware of your service record, Kara. While others may have been impressed by your tenacity on Elysium, what has defined your career, in my own view, is your refusal to accede to the _morality_ of war. That 'war is hell', as I have heard your Ambassador Udina state. Most human opponents of militarism offer up praise to soldiers, for courage and sacrifice, while you opposed the honoring of valor. Isn't that worthy of recognition?"

Despite Sapatrus' audible mutter of, 'asari twaddle,' Kara felt like the matriarch's speech was for her benefit, and not the Council's. "The Star is for actions, Adar. Not beliefs. I've done nothing to deserve it."

"Really?" Adar asked. "You asserted at your hearing that your actions on Torfan might have prevented war with the Hegemony. You prevented a devastating attack on Terra Nova without ever firing a shot and, again, may have prevented a war. You've diminished Cerberus on several occasions, exposed a corporate plot to exploit the suffering of its colonists, and revealed an attempt to breed rachni as expendable soldiers. If that is not enough, it was you who establish a dialogue with the Geth Consensus, opening the way for their cooperation against Sovereign and its Heretic allies. I am hopeful that it will lead to a formal peace, and even reconciliation with the quarians."

"She may also have started a civil war within the Alliance," Valern pointed out, "and threatened the stability of the Council itself."

"By exposing dangerous Salarian schemes, Tellin?" Sparatus retorted, "and saving us from a new Rachni War?"

She had saved the rachni, Kara noted silently, which could still lead to war. So Adar had not yet told the others about the Queen. She was proud of that decision. And, yes, many of the others the matriarch had named.

"This is a decision you should make without me," she said softly, before the salarian could respond. Anything they chose to give involved her less than it did the future of the Citadel Council, by endorsing what she had done, and how. There were no rewards attached to the Silver Star, or any of the Council's honors, aside from recognition. She had that, and more of it than she really wanted, already.

"Yes, of course," Adar nodded. "Kara, with Saren dead and Sovereign destroyed, we've decided that now is an appropriate time to return the _Normandy_ to the Alliance. We've already contacted Admiral Hackett, and he's sending a crew."

Kara agreed that it was the right decision, though returning the ship would not do much to relieve tensions between the two governments, particularly since it needed extensive repairs. The Alliance would want her and her crew, to make an example of, but she had no intention of turning herself over, let alone the others.

"We would like you to continue as Spectre, at least for the present," the asari concluded. "We haven't forgot your conditions, but you are our only expert on the Reapers. You're the only one with the experience to properly analyze the prothean data from Ilos."

"Yes, of course," Kara replied. _She_ had almost forgotten her conditions, but one had been that her assignments be limited to anti-Reaper activities, and felt hopelessly outdated. The other had been for a ship, to replace the _Normandy_, as a Spectre's ship and crew were normally provided by their species' military. "I'll need to see to the _Normandy_, first, but I'll get started as soon as I can."

"Very well, Captain," Valern said. "We'll send for you, if we have further questions."

* * *

><p>Kara stood in the middle of the <em>Normandy<em>'s communications room, studying Adams' latest damage report, currently projected on the main holodisplay. Considering the length of the list, the likely cost of parts, and the difficulty of obtaining them, they were very lucky that the mission had come to an end. Most of the hull would need to be replaced, the mass accelerator cannon was offline, and the port hydrogen tank had been torn open. Half the starboard stabilizer had broken off, as well. There were multiple breaches of the inner hull, particularly on the ventral section, and there were a number of holes in its barriers, which made taking it out of dock a dubious prospect.

Most of the damage to the systems was the result of a geth ambush, which had been waiting for them when they came out of Relay 112, though the ship would have help up better had it been properly repaired after fighting the _Pyongyang_ over Terra Nova. According to the log, they had taken a day to make emergency repairs, applying proper patches to the hull breaches, moving functional barrier emitters to fill in what gaps they could, and rigging the forward thrusters to partially compensate for the lost starboard array. Even so, she hoped that Hackett was sending an extra repair crew, and some supplies. The _Normandy_ wasn't spaceworthy in its current condition.

The door slid open, and Kara turned in time to see her first officer step through the opening. It was difficult to wear a salarian down to exhaustion, but Kirrahe gave all the signs, his gait slightly shuffling, and his posture slumped. From the dust and grease on his uniform, she guess that he'd been working in engineering. "You wanted to see me, Captain?"

"Yes," Kara said. She probably wasn't looking her best, either, and she didn't feel it. "Sevis, the _Normandy_ is being turned over to the Alliance. I've ordered Brynja to recall the crew, but I'll need you to organize the transfer of personnel and goods to the Citadel. Any property of the Alliance should be left behind."

"Understood," Kirrahe nodded. "Anything else?"

"No," Kara replied, offering him a smile, "but I will be attaching a letter of commendation to your record. Without your help, this mission would have ended long ago."

"It has been an educational experience, sir, but I'm looking forward to having my own command again. I'll never go rogue, of course. Too much damn trouble."

Kara laughed. It had made things more difficult than they needed to be, yes, but it had also opened up new opportunities, and turned the ship into an impromptu cross-cultural exchange program. As an Alliance officer, would she even had found the Cerberus lab that led her to Feros and the Thorian? What orders would Hackett had given her, and would the Council have come to trust her as they did? "I hope your backing me over Noveria won't cause you any trouble."

"No. No trouble," the salarian assured her. "Followed orders. Saved the galaxy."

She knew it wasn't really true, and that the decision could cost him. In fact, the best thing she could do for him was to keep their agreement, and allow the Council to deal with the situation as they saw fit. "I hope you're right."

"I'll manage," Kirrahe shrugged. "Excuse me, Captain."

Kara nodded, frowning as she watched him go. She didn't know much about the inner workings of the STG, but it seemed to her than an espionage organization, where one's CO was not always in easy communications range, had to rely more on initiative than strict obedience. Much like the Spectres. Methods were likely to get excused, so long as the goal was met.

She turned back to the display, accessing the Council database and bringing up their overview of what was already being called the Battle of the Citadel. Though few knew it, the battle—a six day campaign, really—had begun on the far side of the Perseus Vale, when the Geth Consensus began an electronic assault on Sovereign's Heretic allies. The attack was coordinated with the arrival of the Reaper and its accompanying fleet in Salarian space, where it immediately came under attack by elements of the salarian Third and asari Second fleets.

With the attack on their primary servers draining significant amounts of processing power, the Heretic fleet, comprised of over eight hundred ships, including two dreadnoughts and two carrier, was slow to respond to the less urgent physical attacks on their ships. Three heavy cruisers, and a number smaller ships, were destroyed, before the decision was made to respond in force, sending fifty ships into an ambush staged by the salarian Third Fleet. None of them returned.

Following the ambush, the Geth fleet reorganized from an assault posture to a defensive one, limiting the damage done by the raids by surrounding vulnerable cruisers with frigate and corvette screens.

Realizing that the Council had known of and prepared for its attack, Sovereign moved forward at beyond safe speeds, surrounded by geth ships. Using the _General Williams_, an unfinished _Normandy_-class frigate, rushed into service by the turian's main shipyard, asari matriarch Lidanya Ayrie, commander of the Citadel Fleet, was able to track its progress through the Serpent Nebula, without risking detection.

Taking advantage of experimental quantum entanglement communicators, installed on the divided fleet's three command ships, as well as the _Williams_, with some assistance by the Geth Consensus, Lidanya was able to order each forward at the moment of maximum advantage. The Citadel Fleet, two hundred ships led by the _Elleztere é Svesséa_ and two turian dreadnoughts, FTLed into position ahead of Sovereign's fleet. As the Geth ships around it turned to brake, the Reaper was forced to slow down, or crash through them.

Just as they were reforming in preparation for the attack, three hundred ships of the turian Sixth Fleet, led by General Taelis Fedorian, FTLed into firing range and halting at a thousand kilometers and turning to engage.

Between renewed attacks by the Consensus on their servers and the difficulty of its position, the Heretic Geth were unable to correctly process the situation. Each ship began to act on its own, some turning to meet the turians, and others attempting to engage the Citadel Fleet.

It was then that Saren accessed the Citadel's master controls, and Sovereign, sensing an opportunity to escape defeat, accelerated rapidly, crashing through a geth ship that failed to move out of its way, its barriers absorbing a barrage from nearly the whole of the Citadel fleet. It did not return fire, however; in her report, Lidanya surmised that it had no power to spare from its defenses.

As the geth, having lost one of their dreadnought, and about thirty percent of their fleet, attempted to follow the Reaper's lead, the Lidanya ordered the turian fleet to break and attack. Cruisers moved into close range, where they could bring their broadside guns to bear, while frigate packs sought out and targeted isolated or damaged ships.

Lidanya then called in their final reserves, a collection of three hundred asari and salarian ships, including another three dreadnoughts, which struck the front ranks of the geth fleet from an angle of thirty degrees, taking pressure of the Citadel fleet—which had taken the brunt of the geth assault—and allowing it to break off and pursue Sovereign.

Now heavily outnumbered, with half their fleet damaged or destroyed, their ranks in chaos, and their last dreadnought dead in space, the geth reached a consensus decision to retreat. Lidanya ordered the fleets to split; the majority of their ships, under the command of General Fedorian, would pursue the geth through the relay, and ensure that they were driven from Council space.

The remainder, including all but two turian dreadnoughts, were turned on Sovereign. It was then that Saren was killed. The reaper, sensing his death, abandoned its attempt to take the Citadel, and turned on the Council fleet.

In addition to a traditional mass accelerator, which had disabled a turian dreadnought in a single shot, it used some sort of cohesive liquid metal beam weapons, fired from its legs, which effectively penetrated barriers and melted through armor. It did surprising damage in the few seconds it took for the Council dreadnoughts to finish closing. The _Svesséa_, along with the second salarian dreadnought, had successfully penetrated its barriers, and destroyed the sentient starship.

As for the remaining Heretic Geth, they were still in salarian space, heading for the nearest border, with the fleet under General Fedorian in close pursuit. The salarian Second Fleet waited in ambush, about a day ahead, with orders to make sure they did not escape.

From a military perspective, the battle had been a resounding success from beginning to end. It had served as a testing ground for several new technologies, including the highly successful use of QECs. All three fleets had deployed destroyers, anti-bomber ships the size of frigates or light cruisers, equipped with extensive GARDIAN arrays and high speed mass accelerator turrets, but lacking a main gun. They had proven successful in screening bigger, vulnerable ships from geth bomber squadrons, particularly the asari design, which had incorporated recent advances in generating offensive mass effect fields at space combat distances. The salarians—though they were being secretive about it—had apparently deployed advanced cyclonic barriers on several of their frigates.

The Heretics had been crippled, and Sovereign destroyed, while only a quarter of the Council's forces had taken damage, and only forty ships were lost. Casualty counts had leveled out at fifteen thousand dead, three quarters of them turian. Measured against a galaxy's worth of dead, yes, Kara supposed it counted as a victory. Ten times that number of casualties might have seemed acceptable. And it would have been. At least it hadn't happened under her command.

* * *

><p>When Kara slumped tiredly down the stairs to the crew deck half an hour later, she found most of the crew had already assembled in the mess. The last bunch, including Orlanis and Garrus, followed her in from the lift, and as she surveyed the faced that turned to her expectantly. Even Wrex was present, though the old krogan pointedly ignored her arrival. Brynja refused to even look at her. Silence fell over the crowded room without prompting.<p>

"As I'm sure you all know by now," Kara began quietly, "our mission is now over, with Saren dead, and Sovereign destroyed. I don't want to glorify what we did, but each of you deserve no less credit for that success than I, no matter how small you think your role. The Council, in a decision I agree with, has contacted the Alliance and is prepared to turn the _Normandy_ over to them. Captain Kirrahe will continue to act as my XO, and organize the transfer. Temporary accommodations have already been arranged on the Citadel, for those of you who don't have a place to stay."

"Uh, sir?" Ashley asked, raising her hand. "What's our next mission?"

Kara imagined the same question was on the mind of everyone in the room, with only a few exceptions. "I don't know, Ash. There may not be one, and I'd suggest that you all think about getting on with your lives. You can count on my support, if you need it."

"I can't speak for everyone, sir, but I was a career soldier before all this," the marine frowned. "Going nowhere, sure, but it's the only thing I've known. I'm just not sure what else there is for me to do."

"CSec lost a lot of people fighting the geth," Orlanis said. "You're a decent marine, Williams. I'd be willing to recommend you."

"Well, it _is_ a posting in space," the marine muttered noncommittally.

The _etkure_ turned her attention to Ehigha. "You too, Lieutenant. We could use a few more medics with training in human biology."

"I'm flattered, Miss Septalus, but I already have plans. I mean to visit the outer colonies, maybe do some good. Always a seat at the table for a skilled doctor out there, and maybe a home waiting for me."

"Well, you know where to find me if you change your mind," Orlanis told him.

"I almost hate to bring it up, Shepard," Garrus said. "but what about the Reapers? I wouldn't expect an ancient race of evil AIs to give up after their first attempt."

"Second," Sayuri corrected quickly.

Garrus rolled his eyes. "I still expect them to try again."

"I'll push for the creation of an STG task force," Kirrahe announced. "Also, the Council could make following Reaper leads a priority for all Spectres. Not much else to do, until something turns up."

Kara nodded. She shared the turian's concern, and the more people that were involved, the better the chances they had of finding any future Reaper plots before it was too late. The geth, the quarians, and even the batarians, were potential allies against a threat to the entire galaxy. "That's a good idea, Sevis," she said. "I'll pass it along."

"I just pray they take this seriously," Ashley said. "I know how much politicians hate anything that might hurt their popularity."

"They have so far," Garrus replied. "I read the public report on the battle; there were nine dreadnoughts in Citadel space. Almost a thousand ships. That's a significant commitment, and they were mobilized in secret."

"Yeah, but Sovereign's in pieces. Easy to sweep under the rug."

On that point, Kara felt she could offer some reassurances. If the Council intended to ignore the Reapers, then she would need to be dismissed along with Sovereign, and that was not the case. "You needn't worry, Ash. They're not trying to push this aside."

"Thank god," the marine sighed. "I know we saved the galaxy, but I hate for it to be for nothing."

"Captain," Kirrahe interrupted. "We have lots of work to accomplish before turning the _Normandy_ over. I think we should get started."

"Very well," Kara agreed. She tried again to meet Brynja's gaze, but the blond continued to ignore her. She forced a smile. "I'll be in my cabin, if anyone needs to talk."

* * *

><p>Kara sat down on her bed with a tired sigh, closing her eyes as she leaned back, against the bulkhead. The state of her relationship with Brynja added another pain to her already aching body. She was prepared to meet in the middle, and to apologize for getting upset, but she could even do that if they weren't talking to each other. All she could do was wait, and hope that time would bring them back together.<p>

She opened her eyes with a sigh. At least she didn't have much to pack. Aside from several sets of clothing, a box of teas, and an ancient statuette, all her possessions were in a storage locker on Arcturus Station, where they'd been since she transferred off the _Kyoto_. Even that held nothing of real value, but she had never collected much that wasn't useful.

She decided to start with her omnitool. Unclipping it from her belt—it was easier than strapping it to her wrist, where she couldn't use it anyway—and set it to download the _Normandy_'s secure database. She set the device on the desk, and stood just as the door chime sounded. Brynja? She crossed over to the door, and pressed the controls.

No. "Orlanis," she nodded, moving to allow the _etkure_ in. "I should thank you for saving the day."

"We were just doing our duty," Orlanis shrugged. "Just like you. When the told me you were only a few minutes ahead, I knew we had to follow. Even a minor distraction can change the balance of difficult fight."

"Yes," Kara agreed, touching the turian's arm.

Orlanis' expression turned into a grin. "So anyway, Lixandris wanted to get you one of those old Saren action figures, and have the team all sign it. He said it was an Earth tradition. I knew you'd hate it."

"Yes, I would," Kara agreed. It would have felt like a crass trophy, one step shy of keeping the dead Spectre's skull on her desk. "So, did you get to spend yesterday with your son?"

The turian's face softened. "It's a special privilege of having a small child that they are always happy to see you. He's a charmer, like his father, and brilliant. He's going to be a scientist."

"Oh, I see," Kara replied dryly. Not a soldier, she noted. Growing up on the Citadel, the little _etkuri_ would certainly have an advantage when it came to non-military opportunities, but he would still feel the cultural pressures that came with being turian. She wondered if Orlanis was committed to challenging them, though it was hardly her business.

"Don't argue with a mother's conceit, Kara," the _etkure_ scolded mildly. "It's impolite."

"Right, sorry," Kara smiled. She wondered what hopes her own mother had held out for her, all those years ago. At what age had she stopped being excited by their occasional reunions?

"My team and I packed up our equipment and supplies this morning, so I really came to say goodbye. If you're ever on the Citadel, let me know, and we'll get together. Just don't try to recruit me."

There it was again; someone else who expected her to just keep going. To somehow assemble a new ship and crew, and… what, she wondered? "I don't think you need to worry."

"Spectre Shepard," Orlanis said, her resonant voice dry and her expression serious. She had retreated to the door, her blunted fingers resting on the frame, near the controls. "One learns quickly that whenever you're around, one should _always_ worry."

Kara frowned, as the door slid open. They hadn't spoken about the geth invasion at all, on an emotional level, but maybe it was too soon. More likely it was simply easier to let it drop, because it was easier than attempting reconciliation with someone you had no intention of seeing again.

She nodded slowly, but the turian had already left. Another bridge burned. With a sign, she went back to packing.

* * *

><p>Kara smiled, as Liara's arms closed about her torso, and warm breath tickled her neck.<p>

"Are you sure about this?" the young asari breathed, pressing a kiss against her skin, just behind her ear.

"Yes," Kara replied. Her doubts were not for herself, but those around her. Brynja was still avoiding her, and she wasn't sure what to do about it; the younger woman would either accept her decision, or not, and the only thing that made the uncertainty bearable was Liara's company.

Liara squeezed her lightly, carefully avoiding any pressure on her bandaged ribs. In that moment, nothing needed to be said, and neither of them said it. It ended as the lift slid into place, and asari's arms falling away as the door opened.

The stepped out into the same lobby where, less than four days ago, they'd managed to destroy a geth Colossus. The on-duty guard, an _etkuri_, nodded respectfully at her from inside the security station. "Spectre Shepard."

She returned the gesture, and continued on. Adar met her in the corridor, just past with the station, with her usual generous smile. "Kara. And Liara? I was sorry to learn of your _kerta_'s death. We had known each other for some time, and I was disturbed to learn that Sovereign could take control of a person of such strong character."

"If her death saves others from the same fate, then I will be content," Liara said softly. Her eyes were sad, when looked at Kara, a small smile on her lips. "Besides, I have found an… unexpected source of strength."

"Kara," Adar smiled. "You wanted to speak to me?"

"Yes," Kara nodded, falling in beside the matriarch as she began to lead them deeper into the private section of the Tower. "I've done a lot of thinking, these last few days. It feels like I haven't had a chance in ages. I may not have been able to express it, Adar, but I've always believed that the first duty of a soldier is to prevent wars, not to fight them. Taking that stand—against opinion, against orders—is courage, not one's willingness to charge to one's death. To speak the truth against an orchestra of lies. It is also… to walk away To admit that the only place I'm interested in dying is in bed, in a hundred years' time, surrounded by people I love. Spectre Shepard is going to announce that the only honor she's ever found in life has been in the eyes of her lovers, and then she's going to resign."

The asari councillor stopped, and turned to Kara. "When she does that," she said, "then she will have truly earned the Silver Star. It might even make a good acceptance speech."

**The End**

* * *

><p><em>We made it.<em>

_I've been planning this ending since the middle of August, at least. Not the details, but themes, and, with a little help from the obscure but quite excellent movie 'The Americanization of Emily', here we are. What comes next? I don't know, but I've always maintained that Antiheroine II would look nothing like Mass Effect 2, and that sentiment hasn't changed._

_I have two things in mind. First, I'd like to go back and do some proper editing on this story. There are almost certainly contradictions to eliminate, and some chapters could use filling out, but I do not intend any radical alterations. If you have any thoughts on the matter-or would like to participate-I'd be happy to hear from you._

_Second, Antiheroine: Interludes, formerly 'Consequences', is now the official continuation to this story. It is not a sequel, but I've got a few short stories I'd like to tell. Feel free to migrate on over._

_So, thank you everyone for reading, and in particular those of you who took the time to comment. Hopefully, I'll be seeing you around._

_-vkerinav_


	43. Afterword

Probably violating site rules or something(everyone else does it, right?), but I figured I should let the regulars know that I've begun posting a revised version of Antiheroine under the appropriately chosen title 'Antiheroine (Revised)'.


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